50 Ways to Express Love
by TheGreatOtaku
Summary: 50 Ways to Express Love and Affection Without Having Sex. Hikaru seems pretty determined to fulfill each and every one, no matter how silly or cliche some of them may seem.
1. Say Thank You

**50 Ways to Express Love and Affection Without Having Sex**

_#1 Say "thank you", even if it's something minor._

Almost every day, the little things went unnoticed. The small things he would do for his brother, the things he would gladly give up felt like they were all for nothing. Kaoru knew that wasn't true, but on those very rare occasions, it just simply felt like that. Especially on the things he knew he just couldn't let his brother know about. The very small things he did, that always went unnoticed. That's what he believed, as he fixed a few translation errors on Hikaru's French homework.

Once that was done, and the rest of Hikaru's paperwork was stacked neatly, he placed it near his brother on the table the two were working at, noting that he seemed too absorbed in his Chemistry homework to notice what exactly Kaoru had done. The younger had a small smile of contentment on his face as he went onto his English.

Hikaru noticed the slight movement near him and just quietly glanced at the small pile next to him, neatly sorted by class period. He picked them up and placed them by his bag to put into later.

"Thanks," Hikaru said absent-mindedly, out of habit. This was nothing new, and nothing out of the ordinary; as far as the older of the two knew, or was concerned. It was only a few minutes later that Hikaru finished the worksheet and went though the pile Kaoru had organized for him to put the sheet where it should go. He double taked on the finished French, noticing the eraser marks and the familiar handwriting that was not his. He quickly dug though his pocket, glancing at Kaoru for a brief moment to see if he was watching. His younger brother was focused on an English assignment.

"Kaoru." The boy quickly looked up from the essay, a light blush to his cheeks, almost worried that his brother might have found out about what he had been doing to his homework for the past few weeks, and be a little sore about it. Kaoru was caught off guard when Hikaru just smiled warmly, and said softly, "Thank you."

Kaoru just stared for a moment, unsure of what to do exactly. He just stuttered for a moment. "D-Don't mention it…" then quickly went back to work on the essay, which he found surprisingly harder to do than before. It was a little hard to focus since it was quite odd for Hikaru to thank him like that. He knew he was grateful when he did know about the things he did, but he didn't really show it in that kind of way. It felt… really nice.

When Kaoru went back to work, somewhat flustered, Hikaru smirked to himself, dragging a line over the number one on a strip of paper with what looked like a long list, and going to put everything together for school the next day.


	2. Be Honest

**50 Ways to Express Love and Affection Without Having Sex**

_#2 Be honest – share feelings._

The faint glow of the late afternoon sun glared off a speeding limo. Kaoru had his eyes focused out the window as too many trees to count zoomed by. Hikaru on the other hand, was focused on his younger brother, and the memories running though his mind of the previous activities that had happened at the Host Club. The "Brotherly Love" act that had been played out that day was a little more… _personal _than normal. Hikaru was glad that Kaoru caught on when he started to go a little farther than what was originally planned.

"You okay, Hikaru?" Kaoru had been watching his brother for a short moment, "You seemed a little lost in thought. That's odd for you," he said sarcastically, laughing a little when Hikaru turned toward the front and pouted, playing along with the act for the fun of it.

"That's not very polite, Kaoru. And I was going to tell you something, too." He crossed his arms, and looked out the window to hide his playful smirk that had grown on his face. "But I don't think I will anymore if you're going to be rude to your older brother."

Kaoru giggled a little and scooted closer to Hikaru in the back of the car. With a soft voice and gently resting his chin on his brother's shoulder, he spoke softly, "I'm sorry. You know I can get carried away sometimes," the younger twin's hand gently rested on Hikaru, pulling him slightly closer. His voice grew even softer, and held a fake innocence, "Can you ever forgive me… _ani…?_" Hikaru laughed just slightly at the fact that Kaoru was bringing _that kind _of attention to their biological relationship. They both rarely did that. Hikaru was silent for a moment, getting rather into the little act the two were doing in the back of the limo.

"Oh, how can I ever stay mad at such a precious brother like you, _Otōto…?_" He said almost dramatically, gently lifting up his brother's chin so they had perfect eye contact. It was at that moment that Hikaru had a sudden urge to lean in further, but resisted the temptation. _It's too soon._

Kaoru just laughed and sat back up, lightly pushing on his brother's shoulder as he did, jokingly. As he turned his attention back out the window, he muttered something a long the lines of, "You're such a ham…" and finally relaxed with a pleased smile.

Hikaru kept his eyes on his brother, a soft smile on his lips when he decided to speak up, "Hey, Kaoru?" He instantly got his brother's attention, though lost the smile, "How do you feel about the— about the stuff we do at the club?" Hikaru had to be careful with his choice of words. He had to pick them carefully so he wouldn't let anything accidently slip. On purpose was just fine. Looking directly at Kaoru, the older of the two held a tone of seriousness. He wanted Kaoru to answer truthfully and hoped he got that message. Kaoru did.

"What stuff? You mean the 'Brotherly Love' act?" Kaoru noted that Hikaru winced just slightly at the last word. He almost regretted asking, trying to be more specific.

"Yeah. What do you think now that we've done it for so long?" Trying to be careful with his words was harder than Hikaru thought it would be.

Kaoru was silent for a moment, trying to figure out why exactly his brother was asking such a question. After a moment, he shrugged lightly, "Well, it's defiantly interesting." The younger twin then looked out the window next to him, lightly biting his tongue. Hikaru nodded a few times as he turned toward his own window. "What about you?" The question was asked softly.

Hikaru was taken aback for a moment. He didn't expect him to ask that. He figured Kaoru already knew how he felt about it, but what was the harm in answering?

"Well… In all honesty," he began casually, still looking out the window as he continued, "I really enjoy doing it. Mostly because," He paused for a moment, turning toward Kaoru with a soft smile, "I get to do it with you."

Kaoru just stared back for a moment, then quickly looked away, trying to hide the slight embarrassment from his own answer compared to his brother's. He then softly spoke up, "Well, then… in all honesty, I really enjoy doing it, too."

The smirk that grew on Hikaru's face turned more devilish by the second, hearing his younger twin answer like that. "Really, now?" he asked, turning toward his brother, beaming with that awful smirk still present. After a short moment, the boy lunged forward and grabbed Kaoru around the waist, snuggling into his abdomen.

"Hikaru! Stop it!" Kaoru yelled, laughing while trying to pry his brother's arms off him. Hikaru laughed and smiled bigger, placing a mental check next to number two on that list in his pocket.

* * *

_Author's Notes:  
Ani - Older brother  
Otōto - Younger brother_


	3. Watch a Sunset

**50 Ways to Express Love and Affection Without Having Sex**

_# 3 Watch a sunrise or sunset together._

"C'mon, Kaoru!" Hikaru had been begging his younger brother to let him drag him somewhere for the past hour. The sun was just starting to set, and at each passing minute, the older of the two seemed more frantic and desperate to get the other to go. Whatever it was, Kaoru wasn't sure. All he knew that whatever it was, it would dearly interfere with his homework that had to be done. In fact, they both had homework that had to be finished for Monday. Kaoru sure didn't want to spend his Sunday working.

"Hikaru, please," the younger boy turned around from the desk, and looked down to see his brother on his knees, pouting just slightly. Of course, Kaoru wasn't too sure what to think of this, but he wasn't going to let that get in the way of trying to finish the worksheet in peace. So far, it wasn't going too good. Hikaru was too good at being a distraction. "Look, whatever it is, can it wait just a little longer?" He started to gently rub his temples; a nice little headache was starting to show up. "We really should finish this and—"

"But that's just it!" Kaoru was stunningly surprised when his older brother cut him off so violently, quickly standing up and grabbing the younger twin's thin wrists. Hikaru dragged him out of his chair and down the hall in a frantic rush. "This _can't_ wait!" he yelled behind him as the two darted out of one of the many back entrances and toward the garden, smiling wildly the whole time.

"Hi-Hikaru! Slow down!" Kaoru quickly grabbed Hikaru's hand that was clinging to his wrist with both of his, not wanting to fall behind with the mad dash.

Smirking devilishly, Hikaru quickened his pace just slightly, hearing his brother yell at him like that. He couldn't help but laugh to himself.

"We wouldn't be in such a rush if you would have come with me earlier. The sun's already setting!"

"What does _that _have to do with—" Kaoru let out a small gasp when Hikaru stopped suddenly and pushed him into a clearing. The boy tripped and fell forward, landing with in the grass with a thud. "Hika—" He was cut off again when his brother plopped down next to him and wrapped his arms around his shoulders, a loving smirk plastered to his face as he stared at him.

"It's not often we get to do these kinds of things," Hikaru began, bringing his brother a little closer, "So, I thought… why not?" One of his arms pointed out toward the horizon, though still kept his golden eyes on his brother's. Kaoru wasn't too much different. Despite where Hikaru was pointing, Kaoru couldn't bring himself to look away. His eyes were fixated on his brother's soft face; the warm colors of the late evening sun setting flooded the two of them, and seemed to complement Hikaru's warm and fiery personality. At least, that's what Kaoru thought as he continued to stare for a moment longer than both of them knew he should have.

He had to will himself to look away, hoping that the warm lighting of the late summer evening would hide his slightly blushing face enough for his brother not to notice. He knew that was just a little too much to ask, but he had to hope. Kaoru tried his hardest not to look back at Hikaru, though with his arms around him and his brother's hand gently squeezing his shoulder made it that much more difficult. The best thing to do now was just relax, and let the moment last. Kaoru leaned more against his brother, resting his head on his shoulder. The two sat in silence – a comfortable silence – as they watched the sun disappear behind the mass of trees on the horizon. _Maybe Sunday homework won't be so bad…_

Hikaru smirked to himself, as he had to remember to update that little list of his.


	4. Make a Picnic

**50 Ways to Express Love and Affection Without Having Sex**

_#4 Make a surprise picnic_

The sun just peeked though to the window, and Hikaru was already wide-awake. He hadn't managed a full nights sleep; not because of some horrible feeling, but simply because he was far too excited about today. Almost the whole night, he had feigned sleep so his younger twin wouldn't be up with him. He didn't realize how long it actually took for Kaoru to fall asleep; it took an hour longer than he thought it would, but once he was sure, he had things ready to be set up.

A fond smile graced his normally tainted devilish lips, and his hand came up slowly to gently brush against the soft curve of his brother's cheek. A loud chime, however, jerked his hand away just before contact and quickly slammed down on the annoying alarm clock. It only managed to beep once. Quickly glancing at Kaoru, finding that he was still peacefully asleep, Hikaru hesitantly crawled out of bed and quietly left the room, trying to keep his sleeping twin like that: sleeping.

As the boy ran down the stairs, still in his pajamas, Hikaru rushed into the kitchen where one of the male chefs placed a basket on the main dining table. Hikaru quickly grabbed it and continued toward the back door. Before he darted out, he turned back to look at the stunned man.

"Kaoru shouldn't be down here till around eleven or twelve. When he does, tell him I'm out in the back garden. I'll be waiting for him." Before the chief could mutter a "yes sir", the energetic boy darted out the glass door and toward the clearing in the back of the garden the two brothers had been in just last evening.

* * *

Breathing in sharply, Kaoru tensed up, stretching out his back, and let out a soft sigh. His hands reached out to the other side of the bed, searching for the familiar warmth out of habit. Though, once the feeling of Hikaru's soft skin wasn't registering on the boy's hands or head, Kaoru lazily opened his eyes to find himself alone in the large, empty room.

"Hika—?" The boy called out, his voice cracking a little due to the fact he just woke up. Sitting up and tiredly rubbing his eye, Kaoru looked around once more, figuring his brother must have gone to the bathroom. Wether it was for its intended purpose or not wasn't his issue, but it gave Kaoru a little bit of relief.

It took a bit of effort, but Kaoru finally got out of bed, and crawled down the stairs—half expecting to find his missing twin since he hadn't returned yet. Hikaru was still nowhere in sight, but one of the maids did find their way to the lonely twin.

"Oh, 'Good Morning', Kaoru-sama," the maid lightly laughed jokingly, adjusting the try in her hands that held a small teapot and a freshly poured cup of the hot drink. Kaoru assumed it was for his mother who was working—most likely—upstairs. Kaoru just nodded politely, though remained silent when the maid continued. "Hikaru-sama was just down here. He left for the back garden and said that he wanted you to come see him."

"Oh, really? Odd…" the boy muttered to himself, but quickly regained himself and smiled at the woman, "Thank you. I'll go see him right now." He bowed modestly, and went off toward the back door, the woman continuing with her business.

The bright midday sun of the early summer wiped whatever fatigue that had managed to still linger with the boy out, leaving him fully awake and seemed to mindlessly wonder the back garden. It had been a while since Kaoru had found the time to actually admire the flowers and plants that had been growing here for years. Last night didn't very well count as his eyes were shamelessly elsewhere. That thought made him feel slightly embarrassed with himself.

"Kaoru!" The boy quickly turned around at the sound of his name; a small part of his heart relieved to hear it in Hikaru's voice. Hikaru ran up to him and smiled that huge grin of his and started pulling Kaoru toward the clearing he had come from. "C'mon. I've been waiting for you to wake up for a while, sleepyhead." He turned back to face his brother, still smiling and pointed toward the clearing, "I've got everything ready."

"What are you talking about, Hikaru?" Kaoru asked, a touch softer than what he intended when he noticed that Hikaru had gotten dressed for the day while Kaoru still remained in his sleepwear.

Hikaru just smirked proudly as he led Kaoru to where he was talking about. The surprise in Kaoru's eyes was obvious when he saw a large red and white plaid cloth laid out in the middle of the large clearing, and a simple whicker basket placed on top, looking rather inviting. _A picnic?_

"You said you wanted to do something together this weekend, so I though we'd do something a little different." Hikaru smirked wider seeing his brother stare like that. He looked adorable, and Hikaru took selfish pride in the fact he could make him blush like that. Getting over that—or not—he pated Kaoru's bare shoulder and went over to the blanket and sat himself down, digging though the basket for a moment. Kaoru followed soon after; silent due to the fact he just wasn't sure what to say. He felt it odd for his brother to be doing all these things, but once an onigiri was shoved in his face, a large, playful smirk behind it, he figured… maybe it didn't matter.


	5. LISTEN Carefully

**50 Ways to Express Love and Affection Without Having Sex**

_#5 LISTEN carefully to positive and negative feelings._

"Go left, Hikaru," Kaoru muttered in Hikaru's ear as the two sat on their bed, the older playing one of their many handheld games. He had long since lost track of time, the only thing really signaling to him that time was even passing was that the sun always seemed more and more hidden by the horizon every time the boy looked over toward the window. With his arms loosely wrapped around his brother's neck, Kaoru nuzzled closer into Hikaru's shoulder, enjoying the scent of the soap from the bath they had just taken. It didn't take long for Hikaru to look over and notice Kaoru was getting tired. A slight smirk grew on his face.

"So, Kaoru," The boy began casually, trying to sound as though he'd bring up some small talk, "What would you say if I told you I came up with a new idea for our act at the club?" His golden eyes glanced down at his brother for a moment, noticing how tired his twin looked. He couldn't help but think it cute how soft Kaoru's features became whenever he relaxed.

Kaoru just adjusted his position; bringing his knees up to his chest as he tightened his grip around Hikaru. His voice was muffled a bit when he turned his head into the crook of his brother's neck, "I'd say 'bring it on'." The young of the two kept his eyes on the game screen, trying to stay awake. Hikaru couldn't help but laugh a little.

"Besides," Kaoru spoke up again, closing his eyes, "as long as I get your attention for those few hours, I'm willing to do anything." This silenced Hikaru. He didn't laugh anymore; he didn't verbally, mentally, or physically respond; he barely breathed. He knew his brother would be honest in this state, but… not _this _honest. Shutting the game off, and turning to look at the other, Hikaru just gazed at what he could see for a moment, a smile slowly growing on his lips.

"You like having _that _kind of attention?" his voice was soft, and he knew Kaoru would understand what he was really asking.

Kaoru just sat there for a moment, silently breathing before he spoke, adjusting his arms over Hikaru's shoulder more, though they finally just slid off in between the boy's legs and chest, "I like having _any _kind of attention from you," he openly admitted, his breath hot and moist against Hikaru's neck. The older shuttered just slightly, "It makes me feel like I should be there. That love in your eyes? I like seeing that. Because… it's on me… and not Haruhi…" The boy took one last deep breath, and then they evened out. It was then that Hikaru understood. He understood why his brother would always watch him so longingly when he wasn't right next to him; why he would always look away whenever Haruhi would get close. Why Kaoru never left his side. No matter what, he had always been there.

"I'll give you more attention, then," Hikaru said smiling fondly, bringing Kaoru closer to himself with one arm, gently rubbing his brother's.


	6. Give Compliments

**50 Ways to Express Love and Affection Without Having Sex**

_#6 Give two or more compliments a day_

"Come on, Hikaru!" The door was assaulted yet again for the fourth time that morning. The frist two were simply to inform that he had been in there a tad longer than normal. Now, forty-five minutes after the first warning, Kaoru was starting to get a little impatient. "You've been in there forever. Some people have to get ready, too, you know!"

The door swung open violently, just missing Kaoru's nose, letting out a small yelp quickly at the sudden outburst. Hikaru stood in the doorway; it was obvious that he had just thrown his pants on due to the mess demeanor that they were in. His eyes were having the hardest time staying open, looking as though he had just woken up from a bad night's sleep. The only sound that was heard was a soft, muffled groan as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Sorry…" Hikaru muttered as he walked past his brother, who was trying his best to hold back a slight blush. "Fell asleep in the tub…" He continued on to the closet, missing Kaoru's rather stunned expression from that simple excuse. The younger just sighed, irritated, and muttered an "I can't believe this" and tried for the now free bathroom.

"Well, because of your little 'nap', we're not—"

"Kaoru," The boy stopped dead in his tracks, and turned toward his brother. Hikaru was lazily rubbing his eye for a moment as he leaned against the doorframe of the closet, finally continuing, "Ya know, you could've used a different bathroom."

Kaoru was silent for a moment. Just a moment. "But if I did that then you wouldn't have gotten up," the boy quickly retorted, not actually sure why he didn't do that in the first place. He wasn't about to let Hikaru know that, though. It seemed to work for a minute, when Hikaru nodded at that, seeming to accept. He wasn't going to push for anything this morning, seeing as Kaoru was rather antsy as he darted into the unoccupied bathroom. Hikaru just smirked after a long moment of silence.

It was only a little more than five minutes before Kaoru came back out, rushing his brother more. When Hikaru finally put his tie on, he was pushed out the door, and dragged down the stairs, hearing only his brother mutter, "We're already going to be late because of you". Before Kaoru could open the front door to where the driver was waiting, however, he felt Hikaru tug back on his hand. When he turned to look, he didn't really know what happened exactly. He opened his eyes again, and everything finally pieced together. The grip Hikaru had on his shoulders was a tad harder than what he normally had, and the cold feeling going down his back wasn't just from Hikaru's seemingly annoyed look, but also the hard wood of the door.

"Hikaru—What are you doing? We're already—"

"Oh, just calm down, Kaoru. Sheesh…" Hikaru muttered with a slight laugh to his voice, enjoying the flustered look on his brother. "I don't care how late we are. You always have to make sure you look nice before you go anywhere." His voice sounded almost absent-minded as he carefully adjusted Kaoru's tie and collar; leaving the very top button undone and the tie slightly loose. Casual, yet still school appropriate. "There. You look nice today." His hands ran though Kaoru's hair for a moment, flattening any loose strands. "Though… There's still something missing…"

Kaoru wasn't sure what to do at that moment. He just looked away from Hikaru's puzzled face when his head just thought that he wished Hikaru would touch him again. He made himself speak up, though, "Is it really that important? I mean, we're going to— Hikaru!" The name came out slightly contorted, as Hikaru had put his hands on Kaoru's face, his thumbs pushing back on the corners of his brother's lips. Hikaru couldn't help but grin at the confused and somewhat shocked look in the other's eyes.

"You need to smile," He said simply, letting go of Kaoru's blushing face. "You know I love seeing that pretty smile of yours. Wear it more often." Grinning bigger, Hikaru rubbed the top of his brother's head, and walked out; Kaoru following after only a moment of hesitation.

Hearing the door shut behind him, Hikaru smirked to himself. _There's no turning back now. _He thought, before glancing back a moment, seeing Kaoru still a little flustered, though still caught up on what just had happened. _Not that I think he'll mind…_


	7. Hold Hands

**50 Ways to Express Love and Affection Without Having Sex**

_#7 Hold hands_

It's such a simple act. So simple, in fact, it hides many of the reasons behind it. It can be reassuring; it can show attention; it can mean the world to someone; it can prove that you're there now, and aren't planning on running away. That small, simple act, that is so very often overlooked, means so much more than it appears.

Holding hands was never really a problem; they did more than most. Hikaru felt, down in his heart, that he wasn't giving the right feeling he wanted to his brother, though. But how does someone change the emotion given off from such a simple gesture? There had to be more to it. There had to be something he was missing; something he overlooked. But what, and how to act it out, he just didn't know.

Hikaru sighed deeply at the lunch table, irritated with himself that he hadn't been able to come up with anything to make it even a little more meaningful than normal. He felt Kaoru's gaze on him for a moment, but it soon went back to the book he had—they, of course, didn't seem to find the time during the weekend to finish their work; make-up assignments were needed now—and continued reading. Soon after though, Hikaru felt the soft feeling of Kaoru's hand graze the skin of his own, and gently held on to it. After a moment of hesitation—as far as he could tell, that is—his younger brother took the chance and slowly intertwined their fingers, squeezing gently under the table. Glancing up for a short moment, Hikaru saw the faint glow of Kaoru's soft smile as he eyes stayed focused on the book. Hikaru knew that smile wasn't from the reading. He squeezed back, and seeing that smile grow, he knew he had been thinking too hard about the "problem".

Another reason for the simple act, Hikaru concluded, was not just a statement, or a vow. It was also a comforted plea to the other.

_Don't ever leave me… please._


	8. Cut Out Hearts

**50 Ways to Express Love and Affection Without Having Sex**

_#8 Cut out big hearts and put into car or locker_

This was just weird. Very odd, in fact. It was rare for the twins to get sick and have to miss a day of school. It was even more rare—dare to even say, virtually impossible—for just one to get sick and have to stay home. Normally, if one did get sick, the other would stay with them and make sure they were okay. But Hikaru was persistent. He kept telling his twin that he would be okay and that he didn't want Kaoru to miss anything for the day. Fortunately for Hikaru, it was growing later in the morning, and Kaoru gave in, still upset about the whole thing.

Needless to say, because there was only one twin at school that day, Kaoru received a bit more attention from the girls in his classroom, asking what was wrong and how Hikaru was. Even Haruhi asked during the day. He guessed it wasn't that big of a deal, but he still had to wonder: how the hell could Hikaru have gotten sick? As much as he thought about it, it never seemed to make sense. The two were always together, now a little more than usual, so if they were to catch something, wouldn't they both get it? Besides, why wouldn't Hikaru want him to stay home with him? Nothing was really adding up.

Getting the O.K. from Kyouya during lunch break, Kaoru was going to go home early. He figured Hikaru would ask why, but that didn't matter. Family issues were more important than business, anyway. Besides, it wouldn't feel right entertaining the customers without his brother. He was thankful Kyouya let it slide this time.

With a heavy sigh, Kaoru watched the trees zoom by in the back of the limo, alone. It just felt awkward and almost inappropriate for Kaoru to be alone like this, without his twin. There wasn't much he could do about it, but it still left him feeling… empty.

The car slammed on its breaks suddenly, lunging everything forward, including Kaoru. When the car steadied again, continuing on, he quickly glanced up at the driver, who waved back apologizing. Kaoru just sighed, irritated and slightly startled still, and glanced out the window. A dog came into view and ran away toward the other side of the street where a small boy seemed to be calling for it. As the car turned a corner, his school bag slid and hit Kaoru's foot; his things had fallen down off the seat. Somehow, the bag had unlatched itself, and the papers inside spilled out across the floor of the car. Fortunately, none of the twin's homework became dirty or crumpled due to the fall, but as he picked up more, shoving them back into the bag, something fell from between two sheets. A white sheet of paper, cut out in a heart-shape. Figuring it was from some girl, he didn't give it much thought. Reading it, though, he was rather stunned to see familiar handwriting on it.

_Kaoru,  
__Miss me yet?  
__Because I sure as hell miss you right now.  
__-Love, Hikaru_

Kaoru just sighed and, blushing at his own thoughts, just wanted to go home now. Chuckling a little bit to himself as he read it again, he couldn't help but think that things were starting to get out of hand. Not that he cared. As he put the note away safely in the bag, he saw the estate come into view and lightly bit his lip, eager to get inside.

_I've missed you more than you know._


	9. Invite for Lunch

**50 Ways to Express Love and Affection Without Having Sex**

_#9 Invite and pay for breakfast or lunch_

"Hikaru, I gotta ask," Kaoru started, his eyes fixed on a clock on the wall in front of him. Hikaru knew, though, his full attention was on him. There was something off, Hikaru noted, that was starting to get him just a tad worried. Kaoru finally turned toward him as the two sat together at a small sushi bar on the other side of town. "What's gotten into you lately?"

Hikaru looked over, a piece of high quality cut fish halfway in his mouth already. Slowly plopping the thing into his mouth, he stared at his brother curiously, the slight worry he was trying to hide showing. Finally he muttered, his mouth still full, "Whaddaya mean?"

Kaoru just laughed a little as he watched for a moment. His brother was so polite, he thought sarcastically, looking back at the clock again. He sighed, more out of lack of anything else to do, and answered, "Well, it's just I find it kind of odd." He left the sentence just hanging there, begging for the other to justify. Just as he wanted.

Finally swallowing the piece of shrimp and rice, Hikaru stared at the other skeptically, knowing things weren't going to go too good on his part. Seeing Kaoru's stoic, and yet judging look in his face, he knew he would have some explaining to do if anything were to slip out. So, for a while, he had to choose his words carefully: "Find what 'odd', Kaoru?" He ate another piece of fish.

"It's nothing, really," Kaoru began, resting his head in one of his hands, still looking forward at the clock. His lips puckered just slightly as he continued, a somewhat darker tone than before, "I just find it odd that you managed to recover from _the stomach flu in just a __**matter of hours**_." He finished dryly, an almost sour look to his eyes as he glanced over at his brother.

Hikaru chocked on his food.

Despite the way he normally carried out his plans, this one just wasn't too thought out, he just noticed. All plans have a few small flaws in them, but this one had huge gaping holes in it. Though, he just couldn't let the other know exactly what was going on. That would ruin everything. After regaining his breath, Hikaru laughed, nervously.

"Ah-ha..! It's a miracle?" He quickly looked away, biting his bottom lip harshly as he was just picking at the food with his hashi. Kaoru had long since forgotten his, not in the mood to enjoy it anymore. He was a tad more worried about his brother at the moment to care about the contents of his stomach. The boy just sighed, irritated.

"Yeah, a miracle." And it was. A miracle that the younger of the two didn't snap and demand an explanation of what was going on. But he wasn't like that, Kaoru concluded. If Hikaru wanted to keep things from him, no matter how much he hated it, there wasn't much he could do. He wasn't going to force it out of him; he himself had kept a few things from Hikaru. Getting it to slip out by regret, guilt, and/or frustration, however, was perfectly fine. "But you _have _been acting different, too…" Kaoru left the sentence hanging again, leaving the other to deal with it how he saw fit. That would determine if something was off or not.

What Kaoru had said did eventually get to Hikaru. But, for the sake of his plans, he was going to plainly and horribly deny it. And he did, "What are you talking about?" Kaoru just shrugged, acting like it wasn't a big deal, and stayed silent. It started to get to the older, not really sure what to do. It was obvious that Kaoru wasn't sure what to do either, or how to react to what was going on. That didn't surprise Hikaru. He didn't want Kaoru to feel awkward about this, though.

"Kaoru," Hikaru began softly, in a sincere tone. He wasn't looking at anything particular. "Do you not like it?" He had openly admitted—without directly saying—that he knew he had been acting different.

"Hikaru, don't get me wrong," Kaoru quickly turned to his brother, a little surprised by the other's tone, "It's not that I don't like it, it's just—" He cut himself off for a moment, looking away, "I just don't know what to do." It felt odd saying something like that; admitting that he had no clue on what to do. Despite their acting skills, he just didn't know what kind of emotion or way of thinking to play out. Which was weird.

There was a slight weight off Hikaru's shoulders when he heard that slight confession. He wouldn't know what to do either in Kaoru's place. He wasn't expected to fully understand it. Hell, Hikaru didn't fully understand what he was doing. But that wasn't going to stop him.

"Besides," Hikaru quickly looked back up at his brother, who was staring almost blankly at the plate in front of him, pushing the sushi around with his hashi. Kaoru continued in a soft voice, an almost nervous laugh tinting it. "How would you react if your older brother started paying more attention to you, and doing things you would think he would never do?" Finally looking back up at his brother, Kaoru just stared for quite a moment; not smiling, but definitely not unhappy. It was more… confused than anything.

"Like what?" Hikaru asked, sounding like a little kid, smirking all the while.

"Oh, I don't know… Like…" Kaoru's sentenced dragged off as he started digging around in his pocket, looking for something. Finally finding the piece of paper, he shoved it in Hikaru's face. "This? Perhaps?" Hikaru just stared at it blankly, wondering what Kaoru was talking about. Upon further investigation, it turned out to be that note he had made and hid in his brother's bag just yesterday. Why Kaoru was still carrying that thing around was another mystery he would probably figure out later. All Hikaru could do was laugh nervously for a bit. It all seemed to be going down hill for that moment.

Kaoru sighed heavily, placing the folded note on the table. Glancing up at the clock in front of him again, he looked back at his brother, concern and confusion easily noticeable on his face.

"I guess I just don't understand why," Kaoru began softly, "What are you trying to do by giving me more attention—which you already did before—and doing silly little things for me? What are you trying to prove?" There wasn't any anger in his voice, nor sadness, nor anything like that. Just more confusion than ever before. This was one of the first times he just couldn't figure out what his own brother was thinking. He didn't like that at all.

Hikaru leaned forward against the table, resting his head in his hand, as Kaoru did not too long ago. He was silent for a moment, just laughing to himself softly, thinking of the right thing to say. When he finally did speak up, he was being completely honest.

"You know, I don't know what I'm trying to prove. But," The boy stood up, leaning over and gently kissing his brother's forehead; he had to remember they were still in public. "I'm sure we'll both understand later." He just showed the other a toothy grin. Kaoru couldn't bring himself to argue at that moment.


	10. Make a Photo Album

**50 Ways to Express Love and Affection Without Having Sex**

_#10 Make a small or big photo album_

There's a definite feminine charm about scrapbooking. Something about it just appeals to women, and eventually having to make a hobby out of it. Hikaru couldn't understand what was so great about it. So much unnecessary materials where "needed" and generally unused, the whole process of planning everything out by themes such as occasions or seasons—which wasn't really all that bad to the Hitachiin—and of course, sorting though picture after picture that would actually be used. That was probably the hardest and most important thing out of everything. Who knew?

Hikaru had urged his younger brother to take a shower first this time, planning on at least looking for some photos he liked. That was all he was going to do that night. And by how it was going, it seemed he wouldn't even do that. All the photos he looked though, were mostly of him and Kaoru; a few others were of either the rest of the family and staff, or the Host Club. Hikaru had just grabbed a bunch of pictures from here and there and threw them all in a pile. So far, none of them were good enough. None of them satisfied what he was specifically looking for.

Was it really that hard to find a good picture of Kaoru? One where he knew he wasn't forcing a smile for the camera? It seemed it was. Hikaru was even thinking about using the picture of when the two first "cried" in public. It was soon discarded, though, just like so many other photos before it. He was ready to give up. Right then and there. There was just _no_ picture that was good enough. Why couldn't they take a good photo?

But something caught his eye. Just before he was about to toss whatever photos were left in his hands behind him—where a large pile was slowing forming of other discarded photos—he had to double take on this one. Normally, he would have thrown this one out too, but there was something about it. It was mostly the Host Club—meaning Tamaki—the day they had gone out with Haruhi to the festival her neighborhood was holding. Near by at one of the stands, they were selling disposable cameras, and Tamaki decided it was the most amazing thing in the entire world—in a way, Hikaru had to agree; who would throw away a perfectly good camera? Tamaki had spent most of the festival running around and taking photos of anything and everything. Even after the roll had run out. No one bothered to tell him.

This photo, though, Hikaru was glad Tamaki took. The subjects were, of course, him and Haruhi. Tamaki had held out the camera, a goofy and stupid grin on his face as he hugged Haruhi; she didn't seem too amused. Just behind them was Kyouya, probably thinking that Tamaki was being an idiot, but happy he was enjoying himself. To the far left was Hani and Mori both running off to the side. Hikaru figured his smaller sempai had found a stand selling cakes. That was probably a safe guess. Up in the right hand corner, however, was the thing that had caught the boy's attention in the first place. It was himself and his brother, barely caught in the photo. They were both looking over a stand, holding each other's hands, but what made Hikaru smile so fondly was that they both were genuinely smiling, and Kaoru was laughing. Hikaru remembered that night, and that was probably the only moment he was glad Tamaki wouldn't put down that camera.

Quickly looking up toward the clock on the bed stand, Hikaru figured he had just shy of five minutes before Kaoru would come back. Plenty of time. He just shoved all the other photos under the bed, out of sight—planning of cleaning that out later—and quickly went to the desk. A new, unoccupied photo album was thrown on top from one of the drawers, and the photo that managed to survive the harsh judgment was placed somewhere in the middle of the book, the other pages blank. He wrote on the cover of the book "READ ME", and plopped it on the bed, where Kaoru would surely see it. Hikaru soon left to wait for his turn for the shower.


	11. Give Hugs and Kisses

**50 Ways to Express Love and Affection Without Having Sex**

_#11 Give hugs and/or kisses_

"C'mon, Kyouya! Give me all you got!!" Tamaki was, obviously, too excited about this whole thing. Tiredly, Kyouya tossed the small baseball into the air multiple times; just trying to remember how exactly the whole Host Club had managed to throw together a baseball game in one of the courtyards. He managed to just sigh, irritated at the obnoxious king and his crazy, last minute desires.

"Whatever you want…" He muttered, slightly chuckling at how Tamaki was just too in the simple game; concentrating on the ball with his tongue peaking out of the corner of his mouth, ready to swing the bat he held like a mad man. Typical, and of course, expected.

"I can't believe this…" The older of the Hitachiins sighed, ticked off about their current situation. As the rest of the Host Club happily played their little game of baseball, the twins had managed to get themselves "banned" from the game—as Tamaki so simply put it. Being a distraction for the opposing team's batter was fine and legal in the game, as far as the two cared. But maybe being a distraction for your _own _batter wasn't that good of an idea. Or the marbles in the outfield. Or the orange that was painted white and switched with the actual ball. No one noticed until Tamaki swung at it. When it was Hikaru's turn to pitch.

"I know…" Kaoru sighed too, equally irritated about having to sit as far away from the game as possible, without being too far to disappoint their regular customers. Kyouya decided that just beyond outfield would be best for the two troublemakers; able to still watch the game, yet safe from any flying balls that would head in that direction. Takashi was really the only big threat to that. "You'd think Tono would be able to take a joke."

"Yeah, really." It was painfully obvious that the two were completely and totally bored. They had been sitting under that tree for only about ten minutes, but that was more than enough. With yet another irritated sigh, Hikaru leaned more against the tree, pulling Kaoru back with him in his lap. His grip around his younger brother's lean torso tightened just a bit more as Kaoru slid down, rested between Hikaru's legs as they watched the game.

"There's no way Tono's going to be able to hit anything like _that_," Kaoru's voice was bland, simple. It lacked any real interest, but he thought, maybe some small talk would pass the time? It was worth a shot. "Kyouya-sempai is surprisingly good at pitching, ne?" The two just continued watching—staring, really—as their sempai, yet again, got another pitch past the King of the Host Club. He had one last chance, but at the moment, he was having a bit of what looked like a fit about it. Kyouya just stood there, calm as ever.

"Yeah," Hikaru muttered softly, resting his chin on top of his brother's head, "No way in hell Tono's gonna be able to hit anything period." When Kaoru started laughing at bit at that, Hikaru couldn't help but laugh with him, too. Not just the fact that picking on the Suoh could provide hours of fun, but because when Kaoru started laughing, he could feel it. Being able to _feel _his brother's emotional reactions to things always brought a slight sense of security to him. Hikaru sometimes wondered if Kaoru thought the same thing. Probably.

"Hey, Kaoru?" Hikaru's voice was soft, though still tinted of boredom.

"Yes, Hikaru?" It was automatic; though Kaoru still gave his brother the full attention he wanted. Even when it didn't seem like it sometimes. The younger soon stretched his legs out of the shade of the tree, and rested his hands on Hikaru's, which were on his stomach. It was mostly to say, "I'm still listening even if I'm not looking at you".

"Later this week, maybe, you want to—"

The sound of Tamaki _finally _hitting the ball caught the attention of everyone out in and near the field. Even the twins; they couldn't stop laughing at his face as their sempai just watched the ball fly higher, his eyes sparkling with child-like delight, and Haruhi who started pushing him to start running to first base. It took them awhile to realize some of the girls were calling out to them.

Kaoru was the first to see. He wasn't the best at physics, but he could tell that Tamaki had hit the ball too hard for any of the players—even Mitsukuni—to catch. Which was how they were playing for the sake of the girls. It was obviously going past everyone. Except them.

The first thing Hikaru registered was Kaoru tensing up in his arms, his brother's hands tightening around his own. The second thing was the entirety of the situation. His brain finally managed to piece everything together and it simply came down to the fact that unless they moved—and rather quickly—that homerun would hit him square in the face. The only thing left to do now was react. He didn't hesitate like he normally would have when he heard Kaoru gasp as he pushed them both forward; he didn't move away when he landed on top of him, both hitting the ground harder than what Hikaru planned.

_THUNK_. Once the sound of the ball hitting the tree stopped echoing in his ears, Hikaru quickly sat up off his brother and stared at the bark where a small indentation was. He was right. It would've hit him in the face. But at that moment, that didn't matter. Hikaru was just a tad more concern about how he was going to handle their blond sempai. It just didn't seem fair to have a cheap shot like that, he figured. Quickly standing up and grabbing the ball only a few yards away, the older of the two soon whipped it back at Tamaki who was standing at second base, seeming worried about the two. He wasn't worried them anymore.

"Stupid Tono!" The ball slammed into Tamaki's face as he yelled, sounding more pissed off than he really was. Everyone around gasped—except for Kyouya and Takashi—worried about the bumbling second year twitching occasionally on the ground. All Kaoru could do at that point was just laugh and choke out what a great shot that was to his brother. Hearing that, Hikaru felt a surge of over-confidence, and an idea popped into his head that he felt would tie everything together.

"Kaoru," Hikaru called out, fake concern drenching his voice. In all honesty, he _was _a little worried about his brother's well being, but he'd really look into it later. Right now, they had some of the girls watching. When he dropped down to his knees, he grabbed Kaoru's face and pulled him a little closer, trying to hold back the little fits of laughter he wanted to let out. The girls, with this distance, would surely see it as worried concern. "Are you all right? You're not hurt, are you?" He knew for a fact that everyone watching—those not concerned any longer about the boy with the ball lodged in his face—could probably not hear them. But if one is going to act, Hikaru thought, one has to go all out with it.

"Hikaru," Kaoru fell into the act like he always did whenever he got the hint from Hikaru. Besides, it wasn't like the two had anything better to do, anyway. Holding back a soft sob—laugh—and quickly reaching up to grab his brother's hands on his cheeks, Kaoru blushed just slightly and lightly bit his lower lip. "Of course I'm not hurt. But I was more worried about you." In truth, that wasn't a lie. But it fit the moment, Kaoru concluded, so there wasn't a need to totally make _every_ thing up. "I would've gladly taken the hit if it meant your safety…!"

"Kaoru, don't you _dare _say that!" Closing his eyes, Hikaru brought Kaoru closer, pressing their foreheads together. Some of the girls had crept closer, a few actually worried about the two, others just trying to get a good view. "I don't know what I would do with myself if you got hurt by something I could've prevented…!!" Hikaru's eyes met with Kaoru's and they almost burst out with laughter right then and there. Fortunately, the girls weren't right up in their faces like they normally were during the Host Club, so they simply saw it as them holding back tears. Hikaru couldn't take it anymore, "Oh, Kaoru!" His arms flew around his brother's neck, bringing him closer as he nuzzled into the red hair, trying to control his laughter.

"Hikaru—!" Kaoru whined, throwing his arms around Hikaru's torso, tightly griping the white dress shirt with his hands, and shoved his face into the crook of his brother's neck.

The squeals of excitement and incoherent blubbering of the girls finally subsided as they were called back to the game; Hikaru still refused to actually let go of the other. Kaoru didn't really mind. He enjoyed the feeling of his brother slightly rocking the two of them, his soft breathing, and his fingers running though his hair. It was always relaxing.

"Kaoru?" Hikaru whispered into his ear, not in the tone he would use during the acts. Kaoru knew it was going to be a real question, and just hummed a bit as a reply. "Don't ever take a hit for me. Seriously." Kaoru was just silent for a moment, letting Hikaru tighten the hug. "You're too special for that." A small laugh escaped the younger Hitachiin, and as he pushed away from the warm embrace gently, Kaoru could only smirk and shake his head at his brother.

"Try harder, Hikaru. That's not going to stop me."


	12. Dedicate a Song

**50 Ways to Express Love and Affection Without Having Sex**

_#12 Dedicate a song in the radio station_

A large, devilish smirk grew on the older Hitachiin's face as he slapped his cell phone shut.

* * *

Kaoru returned not too long after with a small tray of random snack foods and a small tea set for both of them while the two finished their homework. He would admit it was odd for Hikaru to ask him to go by himself to get the food. It wasn't like he couldn't do it himself, but Kaoru usually had Hikaru go with him to pick things out. In case there was something Hikaru wanted specifically. Not that it would really matter.

"Here," Kaoru sat the tray down on the table with a bit of a clatter as he took his seat to the right of Hikaru, where he usually sat. Hikaru just muttered a small "thanks", and soon went back to the math worksheet. The two sat in a "comfortable" silence for about fifteen minutes, and Hikaru had kept checking the clock every three. Of course, Kaoru was a little curious about as to why his brother seemed so anxious, but he never got the chance to ask about it.

"Hey, Kaoru, you wanna listen to the radio?" That seemed to answer a few questions. But only raised quite a bit more. The older Hitachiin's tone was far too excited about it. It was just rather odd. Besides, the two didn't really listen to anything while they did their homework, usually getting distracted by it and spending about twice the amount if time than they planed. Why the sudden change? Like before, Kaoru again didn't have the time to decline—or agree—as Hikaru was already hoping toward the "small" sound system and soon tuned the radio to a specific station: NACK5 FM.

A song was already playing.

_"—ways noticed you were by my side, but is it hate? Love? Or some sort of delusion?"_

"Oh, what the hell? They already started playing it!?"

"What?" Kaoru was still sitting at the desk, just staring at his brother extremely confused and skeptical. Hikaru just froze for a moment, realizing his little out burst a tad too late. Nervously, he just turned around and laughed, quickly going back to the desk next to Kaoru.

"I-It's nothing, Kaoru. Promise!"

_"Everyone has their own reasons for falling in love.  
It's different for everyone. May—"_

"Hikaru, what's the square root of one-hundred sixty-nine again?"

"Ahh… thirteen."

"Right…" Of course Hikaru was a little upset that Kaoru was actually focusing on the math. That usually was the subject Kaoru tried to avoid and have him do most of it. He guessed he really couldn't complain too much; Kaoru usually ended up doing most of his English or French.

_"The present is much more important than the future.  
This lovely spring love is a blooming maiden's beauty!"_

A pencil plopped down on the desk, and Kaoru just cradled his head in his hands, elbows resting on the desk as he stared forward, seeming to be thinking. He couldn't focus anymore. That small burst of motivations quickly depleted as he gave into the radio, and the fact that Hikaru wasn't focusing anymore either. Damn chain-reactions.

"Hikaru, what is this song?"

"Ahh…" Hikaru soon found himself silent, not wanting to say anything, and yet knowing lying was even worse.

"It just sounds so familiar…" Kaoru started to seem a little spacey as he thought about it, the math homework long forgotten, "Like we've heard it so many other times…"

"I don't know about that."

_"Little by little, the door to love opens,  
True love is packed with thrills."_

Kaoru was silent again, still pondering the matter over. He knew he _knew _the song somewhere, but where? Hikaru just watched him, a fond smile slowly growing on his lips.

_"Let's accept each other's weaknesses, the love we have is invincible.  
We bloom and the two of us are the leading roles."_

"Do you think it was at school?" Kaoru still seemed to be concentrating on the song.

"Hmm? Ah, possibly. I think Tono might've played it a few times before the club opens."

_"I want to see that kind you now and give you a cherry blossom kiss;  
if your heart throbs, it's a glorious love."_

The two sat in silence for the rest of the song, and Hikaru actually didn't mind it. He had gotten Kaoru's attention long enough for it to sink in a little. There was a faint smile on the younger twin's face as the music ended and the DJ (apparently) restated the title and that the song was a request from an anonymous caller to his special someone. Hikaru coughed a little on his tea at this. He distinctly remembered _not_ using those words.

Kaoru just laughed a little. _That was rather cliché_.

"Well, That was sweet of someone," he said simply, still leaning over the desk with incomplete homework. Hikaru had gone back to his worksheet; Kaoru missing the smirk that had grown on his face.


	13. Make a Funny Book

**50 Ways to Express Love and Affection Without Having Sex**

_#13 Use magazine pictures to make a funny book about a shared experience_

"Got everything ready for tomorrow?" Hikaru asked, shoving one more piece of clothing in a suitcase on their bed. His tone obviously showed he wasn't too excited with the situation the two were in, but there really wasn't much they could do about it. Both brothers already tried arguing and other means to prevent this from happening, but their parents—mostly their mother—were persistent. Tomorrow morning, Hikaru would be leaving with his father to the U.S., while Kaoru was stuck with his mother heading for France. Fortunately, it would only be a few days and they were only going to "get a feel for the family's line of work better". The fact still remained though. All the two could do was grin and bare it.

Kaoru just sighed for a moment, "Mostly." He sounded even worse than Hikaru. As much as the two thought about it, they couldn't seem to think of why they couldn't just go with one of their parents this time, and then the other when they had to go for another trip. That was, until they happened to overhear their parents talking. Both their parents were stern about this for one simple reason: they believed that spending some time apart would be good for their two boys. When the twins heard that, it almost hurt.

"Hey, Kaoru," The younger twin looked over at his brother, still seeming a little down as he did. He trying not to laugh out loud as Hikaru had gotten up on his suitcase, sitting on it as he tried to keep it closed, soon replaced that. They could have gotten the maids to do this for them, but they insisted they could pack themselves. For what reason—whether it be to prove some point to their parents of something else—was unclear. All they really knew was that they did _everything together_. It didn't matter what. "You wanna do something?"

A soft smirk grew on Kaoru's face, "Like what?"

"I dunno." Hikaru jumped off the bed, looking back at his case and finding the zipper was strained. So was Kaoru's when he glanced at his brother's. A faint smile grew on his face, not because of the sight of the matching suitcases—though, that might have had something to do with it—but the fact that a sudden wave of comfort came over him. Of course he knew both of them would dread the next few days, but Hikaru knew they both would be able to at least survive. Barely, but nonetheless survive.

Kaoru just sighed, a soft content look on his face as he fingered the tag that hung from the handle, his own name neatly printed on it. When his eyes drifted to his brother, he found him doing the exact same thing. There was a long moment of silence as the realization that they would be separated finally sunk in; the two could only stare at each other. They had never been apart for more than a few hours before, so maybe this wouldn't be as easy as they were hoping for. But there wasn't much they could do for comfort when the finally did leave.

Or was there…?

Two perfectly mirrored grins grew on their lips, and the tags were yanked off. Handing each other the other's tag and tying it on, their smirks grew just a tad bigger.

"It's just our clothes," Hikaru began, tying Kaoru's tag onto his own case.

"So, no one will notice," Kaoru finished, doing the same thing with Hikaru's.

"You got your pillow in there, right?" The older of the two grabbed his—now Kaoru's—suitcase and dragged it to the door of their room.

"Of course. I know you wouldn't be able to sleep without it," Kaoru teased, as he laughed a little, still smiling as he did the same thing. The two cases were pushed out the door to be picked up later. The hallway was oddly quiet as the brothers stood there, just staring at each other's bags.

Hikaru just sighed then, "C'mon," his voice was oddly soft as he spoke, reaching out for his brother's hand, and holding it tight. "Let's go look though some magazines or something. Maybe we could find something that looks like Tono." There was a slight laugh in his voice, though it seemed to be covering up his discomfort. Kaoru couldn't blame him.

"That shouldn't be too hard." Kaoru tightened his grip that he had on Hikaru's hand as the two headed for the study, where they knew they could stay in peace. "Just look though the American ones." They both laughed a bit, trying to enjoy it as much as they could until tomorrow.


	14. Make a Tape

**50 Ways to Express Love and Affection Without Having Sex**

_#14 Make a tape telling the qualities you enjoy about the person_

He would admit, Paris was beautiful; in its own way, of course. But Kaoru just wasn't enjoying the city as much as much as he knew he should be. There were those little perks here and there that made the trip rather interesting, though. One such thing was the men and women from the other company whom his mother came to meet. At first, Kaoru thought this was going to be the biggest test of his French skills he would ever live through. He found though, he absolutely refused to use them. The representatives of the company—who were new—seemed to have thought it polite to learn some Japanese for the Hitachiins' comfort. Their pronunciation and overall grammar was almost horribly off. Many times, Kaoru had to ask for them to repeat what they said. It's still up for discussion on whether it was for actual clarity or to simply mock them.

Both the mother and son had a good laugh at that when they were finally alone.

With a heavy sigh, Kaoru leaned against the railing of the balcony, the sun setting and the wind starting to pick up. He was trying to enjoy his last full day, really he was, but it seemed harder the more he let his mind wonder. A sudden burst of wind sent a chill down the boy's spine, and he quickly wrapped the dark jacket around him tighter.

It would be an understatement to say he missed Hikaru.

There was a knock on his door, but he wasn't too concerned about it; Kaoru already knew who it was by the two tapping sounds—the maids and other workers at the hotel tended to knock four to five times. Only a few seconds later after not hearing an objections, his mother opened the door and stepped inside, slipping the cardkey into the pocket of her slim blazer. She most likely just came from yet another meeting without her son. The door slid open to the balcony almost silently as she slipped outside, a soft smile on her painted lips.

"You alright, Kaoru?" She said almost softly, leaning against the railing with her son. It wasn't often that she—or her husband—got to spend any free time with the two boys, but Yuzuha planned to use as much time as she could here without overwhelming Kaoru with her presence. One of the reasons why they had separates rooms.

"Yeah, I'm fine, mom." Kaoru forced one of his sweeter smiles for his mother, hoping to convince her that nothing was wrong, and that she didn't need to worry about his well being.

Yuzuha knew better.

"Now, Kaoru, don't hide it from me, hunny." A narrow eyebrow rose, and a small smirk grew on her well-polished face. She may not have had the presence of mind to sit down and pull out the differences between her sons, but Yuzuha would be damned if she didn't at least have the motherly instincts to tell when something was wrong with them. Even if she couldn't really tell which one was which. This trip had given her the excuse that she was only with one of her sons, so it was much easier to talk without the worry of calling him the wrong name. She would admit though, his bags had thrown her off for a while. Though, after Kaoru had convinced her that he was in fact Kaoru, she didn't bother questioning it. Besides, Hikaru wouldn't talk about himself as much as Kaoru was talking about him. Every conversation the two shared always seemed to involve Hikaru in some way, and was always brought up by Kaoru. Whenever the youngest Hitachiin talked about his brother, a soft, content smile always grew on his lips, as he looked genuinely… happy. Yuzuha could only smile at it. _It's so sweet._

Kaoru turned his head down toward the quiet city streets below, a little surprised that his mother saw through him so easily. Then again, he wasn't putting that much effort into hiding it.

"It's nothing, really," Kaoru muttered softly, resting his head in his hands, the fabric of the jacket bunched up between like a cushion. He couldn't help as he looked over the slowly flickering city to take in the scent of the jacket: distinctly Hikaru's. "I just miss Hikaru, is all," his voice had become even softer.

His mother sighed softly, knowing all too well that would be the case. There wasn't much she could do for comfort in that area, but there was one thing.

"I'm sorry, Kaoru," Yuzuha sighed, but apparent in her voice that she meant it. As Kaoru looked over at her, slightly confused at the random apology, he had a slight clue as to what she would say next. But he still felt the need to ask anyway.

"For what?"

"For doing this to you and your brother." He knew it. Kaoru couldn't help but smile at it, and the fact he felt his mother's affection and sincerity on the subject. He did find it odd, but he wasn't going to fight it now. "But it wasn't like it was my idea, to begin with." That had caught him off guard. Kaoru stood straighter as he looked over his mother, about to ask for more detail. But that wasn't needed, "I was a little surprised when Hi—" Her perfectly manicured hands slapped over her mouth quickly, realizing what she was saying, loudly humming to prevent any more from slipping out. Her eyes darted every which way, looking at anything and everything but the boy. All he could do was stare, utterly confused on what just happened. Hearing what she just said, he started putting it together. _This whole thing… It couldn't have been his idea… could it…?_

A nervous, awkward laugh soon came from the woman as she reached into her blazer and pulled out a light brown envelope. Quickly shoving it into her son's hands, she scurried out, waving back at Kaoru as she did.

"W-Well, I'd just thought I'd come by and say good night and give you that!" Her voice was frantic as she leaned in from the hotel room's door, "It arrived just today for you from America! Well, good night, dear!" And with that, she slammed the door behind her; the heels of her shoes clicking loudly down the hall. Kaoru was left alone, wondering what the hell just happened.

After a few moments of hesitation, he finally looked down at the envelope. A small, but warm smile grew on his face as he opened it. He didn't know anyone in America that knew exactly where he was right then, except two. Hikaru said he'd send a message as soon as he landed, and made Kaoru promise not to call first. So he didn't. He wasn't expecting a message like _this_, that was for sure. As he ripped open the envelope, a CD case plopped into his hands with that oh, so familiar hand writing on it that read "To Kaoru".

Kaoru quickly went inside, and sitting at the small desk, he turned his laptop on. Placing the rewritable CD in the tray, and snapping it shut, his music player popped up, and showed there was only one item on the CD, though it was quite long. He hastily clicked play.

"_**Good afternoon, Kaoru! And how is my little brother doing so far?**__ Heheh." _Kaoru couldn't help but hold back a small laugh at his brother's English. It felt like it had been forever since he last heard him, and just hearing his brother's voice brought a smile to his face. Although he'd much prefer a video, this would do just as well. "_Well, I don't really know what time it is there. We just got to the hotel a moment ago, and dad left to go see when exactly the other business reps were planning on arriving. I didn't think this was going to be this lonely._" There was a slight laugh in his voice, though Kaoru easily could tell this was equally as hard on Hikaru as it was on him.

There was a pause on the audio, but Kaoru knew it didn't cut out just yet; the sound of Hikaru's soft breathing was heard over the speakers just barely, and even that was oddly comforting to the younger twin. Kaoru thought for a moment that Hikaru didn't fully think this through all the way, due to his silent state, but his voice was finally heard again, "_I really miss you, Kaoru. I know it's only been about half a day, but still. Even right now as you listen to this, I probably miss you even more—no. I know I do._" A small laugh was let loose as Kaoru adjusted the way he was sitting; crossing his legs in the chair, and leaning against the desk, one if his hands lightly covering his mouth so he wouldn't miss anything his brother said. He couldn't help but think as he heard his twin's words, _I really miss you, too, Hikaru…_

"_It really just… isn't the same. That fourteen-hour plane ride just to get to the states? I got to tell ya, boring as hell without you. I couldn't sleep or play any of our games. I kept getting stuck,_" An embarrassed laugh apparent in his voice, and another pause, "_Have you been able to sleep alright? I've been worrying about you too much._"

Another long pause that lasted just shy of a minute. During it, Kaoru lightly bit his thumbnail, hoping Hikaru had much more to say, just so he could hear his voice longer. He wasn't disappointed with that.

"_I miss you, Kaoru._" His voice was soft, serious, and sincere. "_I really do. I miss you being beside me. It just feels awkward wanting to reach out for your hand, but it's not there. I miss talking to you. Hearing your laugh, really. And, as weird as it's going to sound, I miss waking up before you, in the middle of the night. You just—_" There was a shaky breath, and Kaoru knew he was starting to feel awkward about saying these things. Hell, Kaoru was starting to feel awkward hearing them. Yet… he couldn't say he didn't like it. "_You honestly look so peaceful. You may look all sweet and innocent during club hours, but you're even more so in your sleep._" There was a heavy sigh over the speakers, "_Sorry. Bet I'm sounding pretty weird, huh? I just… I just really miss you, is all. You'll be waiting for me at the airport, won't you? Our flights are only about an hour apart from each other, so—_" A soft sound of a door shutting and the familiar voice of their father's called out Hikaru's name, "_Ah, crap. I gotta go. Sorry about all that earlier. I'll see ya soon. Love ya Kaoru!_" A loud click ended the recording.

Kaoru was left alone in the silent room, harshly biting his thumbnail. He wasn't sure what to think about it anymore. The only time Hikaru talked to him like that was during the Host Club, but his tone was slightly different. It was more real. _He must be joking_, he told himself, _He's just messing around, that's all. It's almost hard to tell when I can't see his face. _

He wasn't sure what to think anymore. All he knew was that he'd be waiting for his brother at that airport the next day. And he'd be waiting with open arms. Beside, Kaoru, deep down, wanted to hear from his own brother's lips what exactly was going on now.


	15. Give a Massage

**50 Ways to Express Love and Affection Without Having Sex**

_#15 Massage head, hands, feet, neck, and back_

"Hikaru…?" Kaoru's voice was soft, relaxed. His whole body tensed, yet fell into the touches of his brother, somewhat surprised that Hikaru could be this gentle, as the two sat on their bed. The sun had set just over two hours ago, and the family had finally returned not even twenty minutes from then. No questions were asked when the two boys clung to each other since the moment the older of the twins finally arrived at the airport. No one raised an eyebrow when the two fell asleep on each other when the family headed back home, their hands still intertwined from the moment they got close enough to touch. No one said anything when the brothers darted for their room, not being heard from since. It was an expected action, and all their parents could do was smile for them, glad that they still needed each other. It was apparent, too, with their almost silent state, and Hikaru just smirked at his brother's tone. He ran a knuckle down Kaoru's spine, making it curve against it, and the younger twin almost seemed to purr at the touch.

"Yes, Kaoru?" Hikaru finally asked softly in his brother's ear after a long pause, figuring that Kaoru was making sure he was fully listening. He usually was.

Before Kaoru could say much of anything, he lightly bit his lower lip, trying to hold back a smile that was growing there. Leaning back just slightly against his brother's thumbs rubbing small circles up and down his lower back, Kaoru finally found his voice again, "I have a question." There was a slight hint of suspicion in his tone, though it was masked by his soft voice, and that he sounded almost tired.

Hikaru, however, didn't miss it.

The older just smirked, adjusting his position a bit, sitting a little more comfortably still behind Kaoru, "What's up?" Flat-palmed, Hikaru's hands slowly slid up the bare skin of Kaoru's back, a content sigh escaping the younger twin's lips when they stopped at his neck, gently tilting his head forward. Hikaru's hands slid under his brother's jaw, lifting up just slightly as the rest of Kaoru's body relaxed, shoulders falling quite noticeably. The younger was silent for a moment; the idea of time escaped him as his brother gently rubbed the skin where his head and spine met. Besides, he had to make sure what he was going to ask would come out properly, as hands moved down to the base of his neck and shoulders.

"Well, I was just wondering," Kaoru sighed gently, trying to sound like it was an everyday thing, "Why you thought it would be a good idea to not have us go on one of our parents trips _together—ow_."

"S-Sorry…" Hearing what was on his brother's mind, Hikaru wasn't really excepting _that_. It had caught his so off guard, he flinched at the words, accidently gripping Kaoru's shoulders too tightly.

There was a long moment of silence between the two; one expectantly waiting as he looked over his shoulder, the other unable to answer and avoided eye contact altogether. Hikaru's name was muttered questioningly, and all he could do was sigh deeply, and finally glance up at his brother, an apologetic look in his eyes.

"Lay down, Kaoru. I'm not done yet." Knowing his brother, and Kaoru _knew _his brother, he was going to get an explanation for all of this, he just had to be patient a moment. Kaoru knew his brother wasn't big on apologizes, explaining himself, or anything of that sorts. It was one of the small things that made Hikaru, Hikaru, and also a tad immature. Usually the older of the two would just blurt out an "I'm sorry" half-heartedly, most likely not even meaning it, and that was that.

After a few moments of silence, Kaoru nodded lightly and did a told, laying flat against the bed. Bringing one of their pillows to himself, hugging it somewhat while resting his chin against it, Hikaru moved and positioned himself on his brother's lower back, and just sat there for a moment, silent. Finally willing himself to move again, he sighed heavily and placed his hands at the small of the other's waist, gently rubbing small moving circles on the skin with his thumbs. He could feel the muscles underneath his touch tense up and slightly twitch, and he couldn't help but let a small smirk leak out, but only a moment.

"Hikaru?" The voice was slightly muffled due to its owner's face in the pillow, but Kaoru soon turned his head to look back up at the other. Hikaru continued what he was doing without falter. "You didn't really ask mom to take me with her to Paris… did you?" Hikaru only paused for a moment, before continuing again, still silent for a moment. He didn't want to admit it, but he wasn't going to lie to him.

"I did."

Kaoru's breath hitched, only for a second, as he turned around and buried his face in the pillow. He wasn't going to cry, just looking back at Hikaru was straining his neck, and the fact his brother's hands had decided to move up, causing his spine to straighten more made him have to turn back around. After only about a few moments of silence, he finally muttered a soft "Why?" and Hikaru just sighed, irritated, but at himself. Never Kaoru.

"Look, before you get all anal on me, I know what I did was stupid," his voice drenched of the irritation he was feeling, but because he didn't really know how else to express this, "and I almost regret it, too," Kaoru had to stop and think about that for a moment. _Almost…? _"But let me ask you a few things." His hands slid up just a touch, and stopped. Kaoru, raising his head a bit and bunching up the pillow between his arms more, rested his chin once again on top, still facing forward.

"Alright," Kaoru's said simply, yet his voice still begged for a reasonable explanation.

"Did you miss me?"

"Of course I missed you, you idiot. Why would I even—" As Kaoru turned his head to look back at his brother, Hikaru's hands turned the other's head back, cutting off his sentence.

"Just answer my question, alright, Kaoru?" Hikaru returned his hands back to their spot on Kaoru's back, and tried to ask as calmly as he could. Kaoru deserved a break every once in a while from Hikaru's immature ways. His hands, once again, drew circles on his younger twin's skin gently. Kaoru only nodded.

"Did you miss me?"

"Yeah."

Hikaru's hands slid up Kaoru's back a bit more, leaning more over the other.

"Did you think about me?"

"…Yeah."

Hands slid up just a tad more. Breaths from underneath became slightly quicker.

"Are you glad we're back home? Together?"

"…Very."

He moved closer still, his body threatening to make contact with his brother's back; skin-to-skin.

"Are you enjoying our time together more now?" It was almost whispered in his ear.

"…Yes."

Hikaru gave his brother's shoulders a gentle squeeze as he sat up and crossed his arms, a smug smirk plastered to his face. Kaoru just laid there for a second more, seemingly dazed as he tried to figure out his brother's logic. He just turned to Hikaru, a confused and very questioning look in his golden eyes.

The older of the two only had his grin grow just a tad bigger, knowing what was going to be asked and decided to just move things along. He sighed again, content with the results, and turned his eyes toward the window, losing most of that smirk. The moon was just starting to peek though some of the trees.

"I heard somewhere that you can't fully appreciate the things you have until you know what it's like to have them gone," Hikaru said softly, shrugging, as the rest seemed pretty self-explanatory.

"Then why did mom and dad say—"

"I had to make it convincing. It wouldn't have been the same if you knew about it!" He blurted out, leaning over his brother again and hoping for some kind of apology. Hikaru didn't like keeping these kinds of things from Kaoru. But having him not know about it, and having their parents play along would only improve Hikaru's chances of the overall success of the plan. And he would admit, he thought it was pretty successful. Besides, Kaoru, with a soft smile on his lips, had already forgiven him since they met back up at the airport, even if he didn't fully understand what was going on then.

"How'd you get mom to go along with it?" Kaoru finally asked as Hikaru fully laid down against him, the two looking into each other's eyes. At that point, Hikaru knew everything was going to fine for now and that sweet, huge grin of his slipped on his face, Kaoru returning the look.

"Well, she—ahh… didn't need to know the exact details…" With that, Hikaru moved, quickly kissing the skin between his brother's shoulders and neck, and sat up on the other, still grinning like before. At the contact of that small kiss, a small, almost unnoticeable shudder ran though Kaoru's body. Small pecks on the cheek or forehead were somewhat common before and were becoming more frequent. But they never were unwelcome. Kaoru couldn't help but think that these small signs of affection wouldn't end there. "Now, c'mon. Let's finish this up, and then we'll take a bath, and head to bed." From the way the two looked when they met up again, it was painfully obvious that neither of them had managed a full night of sleep in the whole week that they were gone. That plan sounded like heaven to both of them at that moment. And Kaoru couldn't bring himself to argue. He didn't want to, anyway.

"Sounds awesome…" And the younger Hitachiin's eyes fell closed feeling his brother's hands working his back again. He'd have to repay him later. Maybe.


	16. Give Balloons

**50 Ways to Express Love and Affection Without Having Sex**

_#16 Give balloons _

Kaoru always liked the colour orange.

It was a soft, common colour, and he often wondered why he liked it so much. His mother, and even Hikaru, would comment every so often that he looked good in it. Yet he found whenever he saw his brother in orange, it just didn't suit him. Hikaru looks so much better in blue. And he wasn't too sure why he still preferred to wear orange.

It really was a common colour around this time of year. With the heat of the summer, came brighter colours, and the fashion of people showed. The kids running around the park on the bright Saturday afternoon were all decked out in the bright or soft colours. The parents of the girls had dressed them up in simple pink, orange, or yellow sundresses and Kaoru couldn't help but smile at their innocence as he sat alone on the park bench. Hikaru had dragged him off right after school let out—the Host Club wasn't meeting that day—and the two found themselves in the middle of a commoners' park. Something had apparently caught his brother's eye when the two arrived and, with a quick push causing Kaoru to fall on the bench, he darted off, yelling that he would be right back. It had been ten minutes and Hikaru still hadn't returned.

Kaoru was starting to feel rather impatient; it wasn't enough for him to act on it, though. Not yet. The only thing that seemed to keep him entertained long enough to continue waiting was the occasional small boy—or sometimes young girl—that would come up to him and make some kind of face; pulling at the sides of their mouth and sticking out their tongues. Kaoru only smirked before he would return the look, usually much worse, resulting in either the kid running away—a faint laugh in their screams—or shooting back another silly face before their mother would call them back. It was all in good fun, but he still felt the need to go after his brother to see what he could possibly be up to. With a heavy sigh, the lonely twin ran his fingers though his hair and just as he opened his eyes again, a bright yellow flower, an aged daffodil, floated down onto his lap. When he picked it up, Kaoru saw a white string tied around the stem, a blue and an orange balloon attached. His golden eyes looked up more, a soft smile growing on his lips, and they soon met with an identical pair as Hikaru leaned over him from the back of the park bench.

"Like it?" Hikaru asked, that full, happy grin on his face only grew a bit fuller when Kaoru returned the look.

The two stayed there for a moment, Hikaru hugging his brother from behind the bench and Kaoru lazily, yet carefully, running his fingers over the bright yellow petals of the flower. It was then that the strings of the balloons were let loose accidentally and the two were set free. Seeing that, Hikaru quickly made a frantic grab for them, but they managed to float away just far enough to elude his grasp. The older twin cursed under his breath lightly, returning to hugging his brother again, a small pout to his face, and Kaoru just watched them float away. Despite being set loose at the exact same time, the blue one had managed to get a head of the orange just slightly. That's when he remembered why, as he smiled and ran his fingers though Hikaru's hair.

Kaoru always liked the colour orange because Hikaru always liked the colour blue.


	17. Leave Secret Notes

**50 Ways to Express Love and Affection Without Having Sex**

_#17 Put secret notes in secret places_

This was how Sundays were meant to be spent. Staying in bed, sleeping until noon all cuddled up, not worrying about a thing. The silent state of the mansion and the birds outside in one of the gardens created a soft peaceful feeling that couldn't possibly be ruined. Not on a Sunday. It was just too peaceful. And that's what seemed to put Kaoru on edge. Just a little. It was just a tad too quiet in their room, and when Kaoru turned in their bed, reaching out his hands like he always did, he found out why.

He groaned in irritation, "…Again…?" Despite knowing the fact that his brother, again, had left him alone in their room, his hands still ran over where Hikaru _should_have been, noting the lack of heat. Hikaru had been gone for a while. The conclusion that he had gone off to the bathroom was soon dismissed, knowing that his brother couldn't possibly take that long in a bathroom—no matter what he was doing—nor was taking a shower—the lack of water running from their bathroom was enough to prove this. Hikaru couldn't have gone down to breakfast without him. He would have either woken him up or waited for him. That only left one serious question: where the _hell _could Hikaru be on a _Sunday_?

Quickly pushing up and propping himself on his elbows, Kaoru tiredly glared at the other side of the bed—the _empty_ other side of the bed—where his brother should have been. His golden eyes softened, though, to a look of curiosity when they landed on Hikaru's pillow. A piece of paper was placed there, almost neatly folded with his name on it. _What's he up to now? _Kaoru already knew who wrote it from the handwriting on it. He picked it up before scooting closer to his brother's pillow and plopping down on top of it. Carefully unfolding the paper, his eyes darted over Hikaru's writing.

_Good morning, sleepyhead!  
Sorry I'm not there right now, but I just __had__ to do something. I want to play a game with you, and I know you won't say no.  
It's very simple: throughout the whole house, I've hidden other notes that I want you to find. There are four notes and on each one there's a clue as to where the next one is. If you can find them all (and me) I'll give you something… __nice__._

_I'll keep this first one simple:  
go look on the desk! :)_

"Eh?" was all Kaoru could mutter after reading that. Hikaru wanted him to go on a note hunt? _How bored must he be!? _With an irritated sigh—just for having to get out of bed—Kaoru sat up and glanced over the note again. There was no way he wasn't going to do this. Hikaru was expecting him to; besides a little selfish desire rose in him when he found out there would be a _reward _for all this. How could he say no? He figured he would make Hikaru make this up to him for having disrupted his peaceful Sunday morning. That idea was enough to push him though this.

"The desk, huh?" he said to himself, standing up and folding the paper and placing it in the pocket of his orange pajama pants. His fingers ran along the smooth wood of the desk, and his eyes finally landed on a single piece of paper in the middle of the work area. When he picked it up and examined it, he found it only had one thing hastily written on it: "Favorite breakfast". _Favorite breakfast?_ This was his clue? Well, there were a lot of ways he could have interpreted this, but thinking about it—_This is Hikaru we're talking about_—Kaoru decided to take it simply. The best place, he decided, was to start in an obvious place: the kitchen.

The halls of the mansion were oddly quiet, even for a weekend morning. The maids were usually at least wondering around, making sure everything was right, and of not correcting it, or preparing the meals. Even the kitchen was left silent. _Odd…_ His hand lightly pounded on the counter as he walked past, eyes darting curiously and suspiciously around the large open room. Any sign of life was absent from the whole building. _Very odd_.

"Alright, then, Hikaru," Kaoru really didn't know why he was talking to himself. Maybe thinking out loud could help him figure things out—or just help with the odd, eerie silence. Either seemed to work. He opened the door to the pantry and carefully stepped inside. "Let's see if you're as predictable as I know you are…" Walking adjacent with the shelves of countless amounts of food products, Kaoru finally stopped, a knowing smirk growing on his lips. In between two new bottles of maple syrup was the piece of paper he was looking for. He quickly plucked it from the shelf, and glanced over the note that simply said, "Sunset". As he looked over it again, Kaoru tried to figure what Hikaru wanted this time.

_Hikaru wouldn't think _that _into it, _Kaoru thought to himself, stepping out from the pantry and leaning against the cool counter as he tried to figure it out. _Would he…?_

Sunset. Well, Kaoru knew the sun set in the west, but in the west side of the house, there wasn't much that the twins would ever use as an excuse to go over there. Besides, he felt that just wasn't enough of a clue for that. Where would he go? That idea was tossed aside for the moment. Maybe it had to do with the time? The sun did set late in the evening, but Kaoru just stopped thinking about that idea. Hikaru wouldn't put _that _much thought into it. He was still Hikaru, after all. There was still the possibility that he meant it literally. Like where someone would go to see one. Some of the more obvious places where one would normally be watched weren't exactly within the Hitachiin estate, however, like Hikaru said the notes would be in. Where could they possibly watch a sunset?

_Wait…_

Hikaru couldn't possibly mean that clearing out in the garden. But… it did make more sense than anywhere else. And the two had been out there a couple of weeks ago, watching one. Sort of. Considering Hikaru, he probably did mean that. It was his best guess at the moment, and it was at least worth a shot. Sliding that note into his pocket with the two other ones, he headed outside, where he half-expected to find Hikaru. Kaoru's better judgment knew better than to think his brother would give this up so quickly. Besides, he was bond and determined to finish this; mostly to rub it in Hikaru's face.

A slight overcast had formed since not that long ago, but it didn't threaten rain. Not yet; it simply hid the sun, giving everything a cooler feel and look. Even the bright flowers that always bloomed in the summer so vibrantly seemed to have dimmed and gained a bluish glow almost. Odd how whenever Kaoru came out here, he never had time to fully admire what was growing. Not even the flowers he and Hikaru had planted years ago on a strange whim. He wondered how they were holding up. The family gardeners were probably taking good care of them. _I wonder if Hikaru would—_

Before he could finish his thought, Kaoru found his face in the grass, the wind knocked out of him. Groaning as he pushed himself up, he quickly looked behind him as he felt something tangled with his feet. A thin rope was tied between two low branches at the entrance of the clearing. _Hikaru's handy work, no doubt…_

"Dammit, Hikaru," he sighed, irritated as he figured he was going to pay his brother back in spades for this. As he was about to sit up, he paused as his eyes fell on a folded piece of paper; the note he was looking for. Kaoru quickly grabbed it, and sitting up on the grass, hastily unfolded the paper. His eyes grew wide as he read the words.

"'T-Two nights ago'?"

There was no doubt that he already knew what Hikaru was thinking. There couldn't be anything else. Two nights ago was when the two brothers came back from their parents' business trips. The night Kaoru realized a few things about his brother he almost wished he didn't. Almost. With a heavy sigh, Kaoru pulled out the notes in his pocket and looked them over. They all related in some way to the two of them, and for some reason, the whole idea of that got to him. Hikaru seemed to understand the situation better than he was and he had full control of the ride. He quickly pushed it off. _There's no way…_

He needed to get back to the bedroom. Since he had found four notes, he figured that now he just had to find Hikaru. But this whole thing was just going to end up being a wild goose chase if he just ended up back at their room. At least he felt that he was certain that Hikaru was going to be there.

* * *

For some reason, he was having a hard time actually opening the door to their room. Kaoru took another look at the four notes in his hands, and wondered what exactly his brother could be thinking. He thoughts already started in an odd direction, one he never really considered before. Exactly why, he really couldn't say. But the thoughts were immediately dismissed when he felt his face heat up. There was no way he could let Hikaru see that; there would be no end to the teasing, besides, Kaoru still had his pride.

With newfound confidence—mostly from convincing himself that getting back at his brother would make everything worth his precious time—Kaoru opened the door without anymore dely. The room's lights were off, which Kaoru distinctly remembered leaving on when he left, and the window besides the bed lit the whole place with a dim whitish glow from outside. His eyes finally adjusted to the odd lighting and he finally noticed Hikaru, sitting on the bed, his legs crossed, and head nested in his hands. Despite not being able to fully see his brother's face, Kaoru could still feel Hikaru's confident smirk.

"What took you so long, Kaoru?" The smugness was almost tangible in his voice, "I was starting to worry about you." Kaoru just rolled his eyes, but nonetheless stepped inside, closing the door behind him with his own soft smirk.

"Alright, Hikaru," Kaoru began with a sigh in his voice as he stepped closer to his brother, stopping in front of him at the edge of the bed. His arms crossed as the two watched each other carefully: one almost skeptical the other carefree. "I found all your _notes_," he pulled all four notes out from his pocket and threw them next to his brother on the bed, "And I found _you_," he emphasized his words by poking Hikaru's forehead, "Mind informing me what's on your mind?" Kaoru was expecting his brother to sigh in defeat; to act overly dramatic as he said something along the lines of, _Oh, Kaoru, it seems you have bested me, dear brother! I'm so sorry for ruining your peaceful Sunday morning. I'll do anything you want to make it up to you! _But that was just wishful thinking on Kaoru's part. There would be no way Hikaru would resort to acting in such a degrading way as that, even for his brother. He couldn't blame him. Hikaru held onto his man-pride harder than Kaoru did. Kaoru would admit, though, out of everything he could have expected from his twin, his smug smirk growing on his lips, that all-knowing look in his eyes clearly saying, _Oh, no, you didn't, little brother. You're still missing something._ Kaoru's self-confidence on the matter soon left him, though he still tried to seem like he was right.

He's just playing mind games with me. There's no way I missed something…

Hikaru lightly chuckled to himself, "Silly Kaoru." Before the younger twin could really respond, Kaoru felt his brother's arms around his neck, and was soon pulled down landing on top of Hikaru as he laid back against the bed.

"Hika—?"

A piece of paper, one that was no with the ones Kaoru had found earlier, was shoved in his face. Hikaru still held that smug smirk.

"I'm sorry, Kaoru, but unfortunately you didn't find all four notes." Kaoru's eyes grew wider at that.

"Wha—But you said there were four! You're twisting the rules!" Hikaru just laughed a bit at his brother.

"Kaoru, the first one was given to you. That doesn't count!" When Hikaru tried to put the piece of paper in his pocket, Kaoru made a grab at it. If the last note he found led him here where another note was to be, and Hikaru was here too, then that note must say something at least somewhat important. Even though he would admit defeat at the hands of his brother, Kaoru was still determined to find out what it said. When Hikaru resisted and pulled the note away from his brother's hands, over his own head, it just urged Kaoru to find out even more.

"Oh, Kaoru, I would love to give you this," Hikaru said in that annoyingly playful voice he had when Kaoru pushed himself up further, still reaching for the piece of paper. It was harder than it should have been with Hikaru's persistent arm still around his neck, pulling him downwards so he couldn't quite reach. "But I don't think you deserve it if you're going to act like this!" With a quick yank, Hikaru had managed to bring his brother's face closer to his own, their noses almost touching, eyes locking with each other. Kaoru instantly stopped.

The younger twin's eyes seemed to expose exactly how he was feeling with the sudden proximity of his brother's face, and the realization of their position Hikaru had brought him into sunk in. He never bothered to notice that he was on top of his brother, neatly resting in between his legs. What bothered him the most was that Hikaru _knew_ this, and still didn't seem to mind whatsoever.

Hikaru brought his face just a tad closer; that smirk seemed to have become a permanent feature of his face now. When Kaoru tried to pull away, he found Hikaru still had a tight grip around his neck. An annoying predicament, indeed.

Hikaru was definitely going to regret this later.

With the lack of movement from his twin, Hikaru took the chance and put the paper in his pocket, and wrapped both his arms around his brother's shoulders, pressing their foreheads together.

"If you really want it that bad, I'll give it to you later. Promise." His smirk grew into something sweet, and Kaoru had to look away; him blushing now would not go over well.

Kaoru just sighed, irritated, "Come on, Hikaru, let's—"

"No." When Kaoru tried to sit up off his brother, Hikaru instantly tightened his grip, pulling Kaoru down and pushing his head into the crook of his neck. Kaoru let that damn blush go finally. "I just wanna stay here a little bit with you." After a few short moments of silence, Kaoru pushed himself up, just enough to look at Hikaru's face.

"If you just wanted to cuddle this morning, why couldn't we have just done that instead of all this?" Kaoru asked softly, his irritation slowly leaving seeing his brother's soft smile.

"Because I wanted to tick you off." Blunt honesty was always his way of going around with things. Kaoru just slammed his head back down to the bed. "And besides," Hikaru continued, Kaoru turning his head just slightly to look at him, "If I didn't, then I wouldn't have a reason to pay you back, now would I?" That smile he had, the one that clearly said he was grateful for having such a _patient_ and _understanding _twin. Kaoru just sighed seeing it, giving into his brother. He snaked his arms around Hikaru's neck, nudging his head back into his shoulder.

With a content sigh, Kaoru muttered softly, "Do you really need a reason…?" and the two were silent for a moment.

"No," Hikaru answered honestly, "But it's more fun when I do." His arms tightened around Kaoru's thin frame, nuzzling into the red hair one of his hands had started running through.

Hikaru would have to agree. This was how Sundays were meant to be spent.


	18. Go to Church

**50 Ways to Express Love and Affection Without Having Sex**

_#18 Go to Church together or Youth Group_

He never really expected to go to a place like this without a good enough reason for both of them. But a simple trip to the local shrine in Haruhi's neighborhood couldn't be that random, right? Even if it was totally out of the way of their home and wasn't even really planned. Hikaru had suddenly decided he wanted to _walk _home after school. Kaoru simply couldn't say no when Hikaru already dragged him half way down the driveway from the school, that stupid grin on his face the whole while.

The whole shrine wasn't as bad as they thought it was going to be on a normal day. There wasn't much to keep their attention for long, but it still wasn't bad. It was obvious it wasn't kept up too well; the paths to the offertory box and a small playground near by were worn, and many cracks had been made due to age and the occasional persistent weed. The dark red paint on the entrance gate—and everywhere else, really—had worn off quite a bit from years of weather damage. But really, the whole place had a unique charm to it that the Hitachiins couldn't ignore.

For a while, they had sat on an old wooden bench just to the side of a sand pit from the playground the two had been messing around on for quite a while. Familiar glances and silent conversations were shared between the two, and eventually they found themselves in front of the offertory box, remembering what Haruhi had said about this certain shrine. Hikaru somehow found it interesting that many of the prayers here seemed to have been answered. How? He didn't really know. What would make this location so different that peoples' sutras would be fulfilled? It didn't really make sense, but Hikaru wouldn't question it.

Hikaru reached into his pocket with his free hand—the other currently occupied with holding Kaoru's—and pulled out his wallet. His eyes quickly met with his brother's for a brief moment before he let go to pull out a one thousand yen note. Holding it up toward his brother, Hikaru shrugged.

"Five hundred from each of us. Too much?" Really, they didn't know what they were doing, but that wouldn't stop them from trying it out. There had been something Hikaru wanted to ask for anyway. Even if it was rather silly to ask _that _a shrine.

Kaoru just shrugged after a moment of thought, "I don't know. I think it's more like… 'the thought that counts', ne?"

"I guess." Hikaru tossed the folded bill in; clasping his hands together and closing is eyes. Kaoru watched for a moment trying to hold back some laughter. Hikaru looked rather ridiculous, he thought, but oddly adorable with that focused look on his face.

"What are you praying for?" He asked, mostly to see a reaction out of his brother. He figured Hikaru would tell him to shush, as he was concentrating, or get a nudge from an elbow with a smirk growing on his lips. Kaoru was a bit surprised when Hikaru stayed still for a moment longer, as though Kaoru's words hadn't even got to him. He knew that wasn't the case, but he still couldn't help but think it. He wanted to ask again, or reach out and touch his arm, but he held back, knowing Hikaru was actually taking this seriously. If Hikaru was, then maybe Kaoru should, too. One more glance toward Hikaru, and Kaoru mirrored his brother's actions, deciding to take up his part of the offer.

It was no surprise that the two set out from home at the same time; that they looked at each other with the same smirk as they turned from the shrine. And as the two walked out of the entrance and onto the main road, Kaoru asked his question again, mostly out of curiosity this time.

"What did you pray for?" His hand soon found an identical one, who had also been reaching out for its pair.

Hikaru just smirked when he looked toward Kaoru, his hidden words clearly heard in his voice.

"Luck." _Because we know we're both going to need it._

When Hikaru intertwined their fingers and squeezed Kaoru's hand a little he asked, "What did _you _pray for?" his tone playful. Kaoru just smirked, and leaned a bit against his brother as they continued walking as the sun was setting. The unspoken words heard in his voice also when he finally answered.

"Success." _Because you're going to need more than luck to win your game that I want you to win._


	19. Don't Verbally Attack

**50 Ways to Express Love and Affection Without Having Sex**

_# 19 Don't verbally attack that person_

He never had a reason to yell. He never had a reason to lose his sense and totally go off on his brother. They never really fought—always dressed up lies to convince others and cure an incurable boredom that would always sneak back. They never even disagreed—Kaoru always followed him and what he suggested and vice versa. There never was a reason for a disagreement. Harmony was one of the few things that they perfected, but it was still never perfect to them sometimes. Thoughts wouldn't be on the same level, actions would want to be different though still went along, and love would be the one thing to finally unbalance it.

But they always managed. Never would a real fight be fought. Never would a disagreement need to show up. Never would something come between them again. Hikaru promised himself that. If he ever wanted to prove anything to Kaoru, whatever it might be, Hikaru knew that a small argument could ruin it. But he never had to worry. Not about upsetting Kaoru like that.

With a heavy sigh, Hikaru took a few glances around the clubroom, noting nothing of particular interest to him. His golden eyes finally fell down to his lap again, where Kaoru's head was resting as he dozed; one of Hikaru's hands gently ran though the sleeping twin's hair as the other arm rested on top of the seat. The girls who attended the club for pleasurable company had left long ago, and all that was left were the members cleaning up. No one thought of bothering the two for help, though, as they stayed in the same loveseat that they had been in for the past hour. Not when they were actually being quiet. Not when they saw an uncharacteristically soft, yet warm smile grow on the older Hitachiin's lips as his brother apparently muttered something in his sleep. Bothering the two now would only cause this blessing of silence to be broken and leave both of them in a bitter mood.

Hikaru knew with the way things were settled now, that Kyouya would probably leave cleaning duty to both of them tomorrow. Even if it would be the last day of the term and summer vacation would be starting. He didn't mind though. Seeing Kaoru so peaceful right now, it would be all worth it. Kaoru would probably give him a bit of a scolding about it. About how he should have at least woken him up. But Hikaru would live through it. No matter what he could do or say, Hikaru could never find a good enough reason to yell back at Kaoru.


	20. Make a Card

**50 Ways to Express Love and Affection Without Having Sex**

_#20 Do a drawing or make a card_

This was all Hikaru's fault. It clearly was since Kaoru didn't do anything to have to stay after school—the last day of school for the summer—to clean up the clubroom. He was really starting to believe that Kyouya purposely let the Gardening Club use it for their precious plants they had grown to be picked up later after school to be taken home. It was a nice gesture, of course, since the Host Club wasn't having it's usual activities, and only met to say their "good-byes" for the summer and hoping that everyone has a safe trip if they were going on one. Of course Tamaki had started bawling his eyes out and uttering complete nonsense, and was pestering Haruhi the whole time about how she was late—as usual—and that she should have been there earlier since they wouldn't see everyone for the rest of the summer. She highly doubted that. It was a pretty safe assumption, too.

But this just seemed to tick Kaoru off more. He had been left alone to sweep up the dead leaves and the bright, dulling petals that had fallen off the plants as Hikaru had ran off. It seemed to be pretty urgent too, as he accidently took the good broom with him, yelling something about having to ask Mori-senpai about something before he left. Kaoru really didn't have any time to argue or tell his brother that he could have called him later.

Kaoru continued cleaning half-heartily, the only drive he could think of to keep going was the thought that the sooner they got this done, the sooner they could finally leave to go home. The two of them still had to pack for the family trip to Okinawa in a few days. Usually, this would just mean that while their parents were off enjoying themselves and the freedom of stress caused by work for a few days, the two boys would be bored to death at the beach house the family would be using, or just end up wandering the beach aimlessly. The only reason Kaoru was excited at all was for the promise Hikaru had made with him earlier that week about how this year would be different; this year, Hikaru said he had a few things planned he swore would make everything worth while.

What Hikaru had planned for them, Kaoru didn't have a clue. Every time he would try to figure out what it was, his brother's reply would always be the same: "It's a secret, Kaoru. I can't tell you" or "You'll see soon enough. Promise". It was almost at the point where the whole avoiding the question was getting annoying, but Kaoru couldn't bring himself to push further into the matter. He trusted Hikaru, and he was rarely bored with any plan from his brother. He could only guess that the plans most likely had a few holes in them knowing Hikaru's way of thinking, but the improvising part that always came up was the thing that really made it rather enjoyable.

When the sweeping was done—he didn't even realize how fast his pace became—the only thing left to do was put the tables and chairs back into order. With a heavy sigh not wanting to do anymore, Kaoru wandered over to the table near the door and just plopped down in one of the chairs. There was no way he was going to do that by himself; Hikaru would be back soon. He'd make him do most of it for making him do the rest of the cleaning.

With not much else to do, Kaoru took notice of their school bags on the table top, Hikaru's being in a rather disheveled mattered. He sighed, sounding irritated despite the soft smile on his face. Reaching out and pulling the brown bag closer to himself, Kaoru popped the latch open and took note of the papers hastily thrown in. Just before he was about to reach in and at least put them in a neater order, one paper took his notice for whatever reason. There was nothing special about it—it being just a folded piece of average printer paper. He didn't know what compelled him to investigate it, but he found himself carefully pulling it out, looking it over. His name had been written on it the hastily folded paper. When he opened it, a hasty message was scribbled inside with a small smiley face afterwards.

_Sorry for ditching, Kaoru. There was something important I had to talk to Mori-senpai about. I'll make it up to you later. Promise._

_-Hikaru_

Kaoru couldn't help but notice that his brother running off and him getting notes were starting to become a reoccurring theme. He didn't mind the notes as much as he was minding the absence of his dear brother. He only hoped that he wouldn't be pulling any disappearing acts during their vacation.

The doorknob rattled a bit, and Kaoru quickly threw the note back into the bag, slapping it shut before turning to see his brother walk in, broom still in hand. Their eyes met, and Hikaru just smiled apologetically as he noticed the room had been completely swept.

"Ah, sorry, Kaoru. I didn't think I would be gone that long. You didn't have to do it all." Hikaru walked in a bit, setting the broom next to the door.

Kaoru shrugged, "I was bored."

"Well, let's go home, then. The room looks good enough to me, ne?" Hikaru walked over and grabbed his bag, handing Kaoru his own. As the two were heading out, Kaoru kept glancing at him, waiting for some kind of better explanation for his twin's disappearance. Of course Hikaru noticed.

"Don't worry, Kaoru. I was just wishing the guys a good summer. If it helps any, I'll make it up to you this wee in Okinawa. Promise." Hikaru smiled brightly at his brother.

Lately, it seemed Hikaru was doing a lot of "making up" to Kaoru. Not that neither of them really could mind.


	21. Serenade Special Someone

**50 Ways to Express Love and Affection Without Having Sex**

_#21 Get friends to serenade your special someone_

It was silent that night, only the sound of the few bugs chirping, or the sheets rustling when either of the twins rolled over in the bed. Sleep wasn't coming easily for either of them, mostly from the excitement of finally going on that trip early in the morning—on Kaoru's part—and just having to go to bed a few hours earlier than either of them were use to—on Hikaru's part. The idea of waking up far too early for both of them to properly function wasn't too appealing, but their parents wanted to get a head start and get the most out of the vacation time that they could.

Kaoru, for the sixth time in about five minutes, rolled over and faced his brother, finding Hikaru's eyes shut tight in a pathetic attempt at sleep. He couldn't help but smile at how rather silly it looked.

"…Hikaru?" He called out softly, faint boredom present in his voice.

"Mmnh…?" Hikaru didn't bother with a more intelligent reply.

"I can't sleep…" The tone would have been matter-of-fact if not for the soft murmur that it was.

"I'm sorry," the apologetic tone was clearly absent in his voice. Hikaru's eyes finally opened, looking right into Kaoru's that were playfully glaring at him; a small smirk tugged at his lips. "We've gotta at least try. At this rate, we're gonna be like the walking dead in the morning." With that, he brought his arms out in a welcoming display, one that was strongly familiar between the two, for his little brother to come closer. Kaoru took the invitation, just like every other time.

Quite surprisingly—and yet rather expected—both of the boys were finally finding sleep in each other's arms, the early time and anxiousness long forgotten. Soft mutters of "good nights" were the only things registering now in their minds. A faint sound, like white noise, though, broke though the settling silence, stirring them both awake again. Neither put much thought into it, assuming it was a television someone in the estate left on. A new sound, much louder than before, alerted them that it was not a television. It was music; a recorded acoustic guitar, and both boys shot their eyes open. One staring with surprise and slight annoyance with the fact sleep eluded him yet again, the other more easily described by the words that flew out of his mouth at the realization of what and where the music was coming from.

"Ah, shit."

Hikaru abruptly sat up, almost falling out of bed as he tried to rush to the window, hastily muttering something along the lines of "I _told_ him I was just joking around…!!" Kaoru just sat up in bed, watching his brother pull back the large, heavy curtains, searching outside desperately, as a deep, yet familiar voice accompanied the guitar's steady notes.

_"Nani mo iwazu ni sugu soba ni iru yo  
Donna toki mo  
Kanashii omoi wa sotto tsutaeke yo  
Kiiteru kara"_

As the voice was singing, Kaoru slipped out of bed and crept up to his brother, watching as he seemed to be trying to stop the person—from what he could gather—but to no avail. Curiosity getting the better of him, he looked out the window wondering who it could be. His eyes widened with shock.

_"Umaku iezu ni kimi o komarasete  
Shimau no nara  
Hitomi o tojite sotto yudanete yo  
Dokishimeru kara"_

"M-Mori-senpai!?" Upon further examination, they both found their senpai standing in a clearing below their window, a large speaker next to him, singing his heart out. _But… Why?_ The question screamed in Kaoru's head as he glanced over to his twin, finding him with his forehead pressed against the glass of the window in what looked like defeat; He couldn't get the older boy's attention. Kaoru was slowly piecing everything together from what his brother had said and how he reacted, and the events yesterday.

"Hikaru, why did you ask Mori-senpai to do this?" it was an accusing tone, yet not harsh in any way whatsoever. Hearing this, Hikaru just rolled his head against the glass, toward his twin, with quite a severe frown overtaking his features. He was silent for a moment, thinking.

"I didn't ask him to do this… exactly." His eyes looked away from his brother, out the window again. All Kaoru did at that was continue to stare, a narrow eyebrow raised, skeptical of what his brother was saying. There was no way, no reason for Takashi to do something like this on his own, so why was he here now, and why was Hikaru freaking out as much as he was over it? Kaoru had his suspicions, and he knew Hikaru would fill him in sooner or later. He was going to make sure, though, that it was sooner than later, if push came to shove.

Hikaru sighed heavily, "So I may have mentioned something like this to him before he left yesterday… But, I swear! I was just joking around! I even told him that!" Things just didn't seem to be adding up in Kaoru's mind, though. But he couldn't flat out say that Hikaru was lying, because he knew Hikaru wouldn't lie about something like this to him. But he still couldn't help but wonder why his brother would even suggest to their senpai to do something like this. It was just odd.

Kaoru's eyes went back to the window, looking down at the third-year and noticing that he actually seemed to be enjoying himself, despite how awkward this was no matter how someone was to look at it. The words, the lyrics were starting to sink in a little bit, and Kaoru had to wonder about his song choice.

_"Itsu datte kimi to hohaba awase  
Kore kara mo kawaranai omoi ga aru kara"_

The younger twin chanced a glance at his brother, and was a little surprised by what he saw. Hikaru was staring out the window, a faint blush of embarrassment gently setting on his cheeks. It was almost as if he wasn't embarrassed of what Takashi was doing in general, but was embarrassed of the words and letting Kaoru hear them. A soft smile grew on Kaoru's lips.

_"Daki shimeta sono nukumori ga  
Itsu made mo kienai you ni  
Koboreta namide wa bokuga nuguu kara  
Zutto soba ni iru yo"_

The two of them were silent for a moment, not sure what do to or say anymore. With a small sigh, Kaoru took a few steps closer to his brother, and taking his hand tugged him back toward the bed. There wasn't much resistance, but Hikaru still wore that frown on his face; Kaoru laughed a little to himself at that.

"C'mon. Let's get back to bed." The music was still playing and their senpai was still singing, and Kaoru didn't mind anymore. Even if it was totally unintentional, he couldn't help but feel a bit excited about the whole thing, even if it was a little silly of an idea. Kaoru laughed to himself once again, and Hikaru just stared at his brother, a bit skeptical.

"You're so weird, Hikaru." He smiled as he pulled his brother down to the bed with him. Sleep didn't elude them for much longer after that.

_"Daki shimeta sono nukumori ga  
Istu made mo kienai you ni  
Koboreta namide wa bokuga nuguu kara  
Zutto soba ni iru yo"_

* * *

Outside, as Takashi was picking up his things he had brought, he silently had wondered why Hikaru would ask him to do this for a favor of his father's. Odd, he thought, and he couldn't help but feel that that it was not the case and that there was another, underlying meaning to it. But it wasn't his concern, he concluded. He wouldn't ask, either.

* * *

_Author's Notes:_

_"Without saying anything, I'm right by your side  
At anytime  
Gently tell me your sad thoughts  
Because I'm listening_

_If my inability to express things well  
Troubles you  
Then close your eyes and gently entrust me  
Because I'll embrace you_

_I match my pace with you all the time  
Because I have still an unchanging thought now_

_So that the warmth of when we embraced  
Won't ever disappear  
I'll wipe away your spilling tears  
I'll always be by your side_

_So that the warmth of when we embraced  
Won't ever disappear  
I'll wipe away your spilling tears  
I'll always be by your side"_


	22. Phone Call

**50 Ways to Express Love and Affection Without Having Sex**

_#22 Phone call just to say you care or "I love you"._

The morning was a total blur. They don't remember waking up. They don't remember getting dragged out of bed by their maids. Or getting dressed, eating, or getting into the car, heading for an airport. The morning was frantic, rushed and the twins simply don't recall much of it. They should have gotten more sleep last night, but after Takashi finally left both were having trouble _staying_ asleep. Almost every half an hour, both would wake up periodically throughout the night most likely from the anxiousness coming back.

They still were unsure on how long it took for them to get into the vehicle, or just how they did in general. They had only been in the car for about half an hour and Kaoru already was out cold while Hikaru couldn't seem to find that luxury. He spent the whole time, just about, staring out the window counting the minutes out of boredom until the sun would come up. It would still be a while until then, though. He still stared, but only for about three minutes before he grew bored of that and looked over at his brother, hoping he would wake up soon. This routine repeated a good number of times. Every time he would glance at his brother, he would constantly wonder how he could do that, how he could sleep in that position comfortably; half of Kaoru's face was pressed against the glass while he had pulled his legs up to lay them on the seat of the car. Earlier, Hikaru had thrown a thin blanket over him. He figured his brother needed it more.

A sudden buzzing coming from his pocket had startled him, only for Hikaru to realize it was simply his cell phone going off. Digging around in his pocket in a haphazard manner, he pulled it out wondering why it had gone off. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary; no missed calls, no voice mails, no text messages. The battery probably lost a bar, he figured, tossing it to the side of the seat with no more use to him. He couldn't call or messages anyone—it only being a little after half past five in the freaking morning, as Hikaru so simply put it.

That's when an idea hit him.

Hikaru's eyes quickly glanced toward his twin, finding him still asleep and in the same position he had been in for the last half hour. He grabbed his cell phone again and, flipping it open, went to compose a message. It was all well and good that Kaoru wanted to get some sleep—Hikaru would love to do that himself—but it was at his expense and he would have to suffer the consequences of leaving his dear twin lonely and bored, needing sleep. Kaoru can only blame himself, Hikaru thought, pressing "Send" with a grin on his face.

There were a few moments of silence—as silent as a car ride can get—as Hikaru waited, counting the moments as he eyed where his twin's pocket was. It would go off any moment, and as he waited he started another message knowing he would need to be persistent. A soft, but drawn out buzzing sounded to the side of him, and he was relieved that Kaoru had put his phone in his pocket before they left. There wasn't much of a reaction, but Hikaru knew that would only last so long. He would keep hitting send until his battery died, if needed. Thankfully, that wasn't the case; after about the fifth message, Kaoru was finally making more of a reaction than just groaning in protest. Still basically asleep, Kaoru seemed to be trying to grab his phone from under the blanket. Hikaru couldn't help but let his smile grow just a tad bigger—at this early in the morning, anything was pretty funny.

After the seventh buzz, Kaoru finally threw the blanket off and pulled his phone out, still oblivious to his brother's grin. When Kaoru finally figured out how to open the offending technology and saw brightly flashing on the screen that there were seven new unread text messages, it didn't take him long—even if his half-asleep state—to realize what was going on. He snapped the phone shut, not bothering with anything else on it, and glared at his brother despite his horribly sleepy eyes, his bottom lip sticking out a little in quite the displeased pout. Hikaru thought it was rather adorable.

The phone was soon tossed toward the other, Kaoru none too happy to have been woken up in such a way. Hikaru only laughed a little as Kaoru laid down on the seat, pulling the blanket over his head, hoping to get back to sleep. He honestly should have thought that out better.

Still laughing to himself lightly, Hikaru picked up the phone that had hit him in the arm and—composing yet another message on his phone—tossed Kaoru's back on him. A moment after it landed on him and the younger groaning, ticked off, it went off yet again.

"Hikaru, stop it," Kaoru muttered, sounding too small and sleepy for the tone to sound effectively angered. He held the blanket over him, glaring one again at his brother. Hikaru blew a raspberry. Kaoru attempted to kick his twin; if Hikaru wanted to play that way, fine. But before he could actually make any contact, Hikaru had grabbed his brother's foot and pulled him a bit, dragging him a short distance across the leather seating. Before Kaoru could retaliate to this move, Hikaru had yanked the blanket away and, with a playful smirk on his lips, plopped down to lay next to him, the blanket falling over both.

"You're a jerk; waking me up like that…" The younger twin muttered, his eyes falling closed again, his brow furrowed. Hikaru lightly laughed.

"And you're cruel; leaving me all alone like that…" His tone was mocking yet playful as he scooted just a little closer to his brother, "You know I can't sleep well unless you're right next to me." Hearing this, Kaoru brought his arms up and wrapped them around Hikaru's neck as he habitually began to snuggle up to his "jerk" of a brother. He didn't bother putting much thought in his actions versus his words. He rarely meant any insult he gave his twin. Right now, Kaoru just wanted more sleep. Having Hikaru right there would make it that much easier; if he would sleep too, of course.

"I'm sorry…" It felt more automatic than heart-felt, but neither could care at the moment. Hikaru could start to feel his brother's fingers absent-mindedly play with his hair, and with a softer smile, he pulled out his phone one more time. The bright light from the screen caused Kaoru to groan a little, not wanting a repeat of a minute ago. Unfortunately, it seemed fate was against him when his phone went off once again.

"Hikaru, seriously, stop it."

"Just read it, then I'll stop. Promise."

With a heavy sigh, Kaoru muttered a "Fine…" and his hand started searching for where the buzzing was coming from. Getting a hold of the phone, he flipped it open and started going though his messages, oldest to newest. He figured he might as well see what else his brother sent him.

"_kaoru!"_

Delete.

"_wake up"_

Delete.

"_wake up kaoru"_

Delete.

"_meanie"_

Delete.

"_ignoring me like this"_

Delete.

"_wake up!!"_

Delete.

"_you look silly"_

Delete.

"_i love you"_

…

Reply.

Kaoru sighed softly, not feeling as annoyed anymore. He really should have expected something like this from his brother this early. For a while, there was only the sound of faint clicking and soft beeping as Kaoru quickly typed up a message, trying not to smile too big at his brother's confused face. He probably thought he would simply ignore it like all the other messages. One more click from Kaoru's phone sent the message, and he snapped the phone shut, hoping that it would be the last time he would need to use it for a while. The younger twin's eyes fell shut again as he returned to his earlier position, cuddling up to his brother. A moment later, Hikaru's phone went off, and when he flipped it open, reading what his little brother had quickly typed, he smiled and laughed a little.

_"i love you too  
now leave me alone and go to sleep"_

Hikaru gently shut his phone, after saving the message, and tossed it somewhere on the floor of the car for the time being. With a soft smile finally feeling tired enough to get some sleep, he wrapped his arms around his brother, feeling him respond by tightening his. He knew they were both rather uncomfortable trying to sleep on the car seat, but it wouldn't be too much of a problem. Not after he felt his twin lightly press his lips to his cheek for a moment, a little surprised. A small boost of confidence had hit him and he returned the favor as both boys fell asleep in the back of the car.

* * *

_Author's Notes:_

Due to some unexpected family business, this will be updated again weekend after Halloween.

Sorry for the inconvenience Thank you for understanding.


End file.
